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Chicago Had More Murders In 8 Months Of 2016 Than All Of Last Year

By  Kelly Bauer and Tanveer Ali | September 2, 2016 12:27pm 

 The city has had more shooting victims in just a little more than eight months than in all of 2015.
The city has had more shooting victims in just a little more than eight months than in all of 2015.
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DNAinfo/Alex Nitkin

CHICAGO — The city has now seen both more murders and people shot this year than in all of 2015 — and there's still four months of 2016 remaining. 

There have been 474 people murdered in Chicago so far this year, 50 percent more than at the same point last year and slightly more than the 468 people killed in all of 2015, according to Chicago Police Department data.

DNAinfo, which includes other incidents classified as "homicides" by the Cook County Medical Examiner's Office, counts 485 murders for 2016 so far.

There were 2,843 people shot across 2,327 shootings throughout all of 2015. But this year, 2,848 people have already been killed or wounded in 2,318 shootings as of Friday morning.

Of those shot, at least 430 people have been killed in gunfire. Last year, 426 people were killed in shootings. 

"During the month of August several enforcement missions have targeted over 200 offenders throughout the city who contribute to the cycle of violence in some neighborhoods," Chicago Police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said in a statement. "The majority of these individuals are documented gang members and on the Department's Strategic Subject List (SSL) which calculates the propensity of an individual to be an offender or victim of gun violence."

At this rate, Chicago is expected to see 3,600 to 4,200 people shot in 3,200-3,500 shootings by the end of the year. Some, including Cook County State's Attorney Anita Alvarez, have predicted the city will see 700 homicides before the year is out.

It's another unfortunate milestone in what has been a particularly violent year for Chicago. The city has already seen more murders than New York and Los Angeles combined, despite a considerably smaller population than both.

Violence surged even as police tried to crack down this summer — in fact, in July, a 16-year-old boy was shot just blocks from where Supt. Eddie Johnson told reporters about how police would help prevent more bloodshed.

Here's a breakdown of the violence each month so far:

August: Chicago Has Had More Murders Than New York And L.A. Combined This Year

JulyBloody July Sees Spike In Chicago Gun Violence As Shootings Up 45 Percent

June: 'An Orlando Every Month': Shootings Up 50 Percent In Chicago

May: Chicago's Violent May Rivals Bloody ’90s: ‘Our Community Is Under Siege’

April: With Nearly 1,100 Shot, Shooting Victims Up 75 Percent This Year

March: Shootings Up 80 Percent In Chicago This Year, Highest This Decade By Far

February: 187 Shot in Chicago in February, Nearly Triple Those Shot in February 2015

January: 2016 Off To A Bloody Start as Shootings Double: 42 People Killed, 210 Hurt