CHICAGO — The deadliest weekend of the year ended with 17 shot dead and at least 57 others wounded in what Police Supt. Eddie Johnson called a "tough" weekend for the city and the department.
The Friday-through-Sunday murder count rose to 17 Sunday after a man shot in Englewood Saturday afternoon died from his injuries. That leaves the late October weekend as the deadliest of the year and the worst weekend for murders since August 2002, according to shootings data compiled by DNAinfo Chicago.
"It was a tough weekend," Johnson said after a ceremony Monday morning for graduating new officers. "You would think people would be in a better frame of mind with the Cubs playing in the World Series."
Included among the dead this weekend is a 14-year-old boy and twin 17-year-olds shot in Old Town early Sunday. Johnson told reporters the twins were not gang members, but some of the people they were with are in gangs.
The city saw 10 people killed between Saturday afternoon and early Sunday, at a time when hundreds of officers were lining the streets outside Wrigley Field for the first World Series home games there in 70 years.
Johnson said the heavy police presence in Wrigleyville did not impact police operations on the South and West sides, where much of the weekend's violence was concentrated.
"The communities that we typically see violence in, they didn't get shortchanged," he said. "We had adequate resources there. They [shooters] just don't care. I'm sick of it and I know the people in the communities are tired of it."
Supt. Eddie Johnson [DNAinfo/Joe Ward]
Johnson, speaking to reporters, returned to a familiar plea for state help to hold gang members and gun offenders accountable for their crimes.
He referenced the police graduation ceremony he just presided over, and said it was the largest he's seen in his nearly 30 years on the force. The extra ranks, with the city looking to hire nearly 1,000 new officers, shows the city's and department's dedication to fighting the problem, Johnson said.
"The men and women work really hard to hold these individuals accountable," he said. "The police are doing their part. We need help from our judicial and state partners."
Mayor Rahm Emanuel, also at the police graduation, did not speak with reporters after the event.
On Monday, anti-violence activist the Rev. Michael Pfleger pointed out the mourning happening in communities throughout Chicago as much of the city focused on the World Series.
"The Cubs Won last night....and that's Great.....but the City Lost this Weekend.....as of last Night at 11:00 pm we had 16 KILLED and 43 WOUNDED.....Until we get the Resources we need to Strengthen our Communities and offer options......and until We as a Community Decide we are going to Take Authority and STOP this Condition of Killing and Shooting........the City and most of all our Children will continue to lose!!!!!!"
Supt. Eddie Johnson talks about 17 shot dead this weekend, most deadly weekend in 2016. pic.twitter.com/xvnuBadb7t
— Joe Ward (@JayDubWard) October 31, 2016
One man was killed and five others wounded on Sunday, a sharp reduction in the level of gun violence seen Saturday, when nine were killed and 23 others wounded, police said.
Friday shootings killed six and wounded 19 others, police said.
Early Monday, a 28-year-old man was killed in Englewood, according to police.
At 4:02 a.m. He was discovered on the kitchen floor of a second-floor apartment with gunshot wounds to his chest and head, police said. The man was pronounced dead at the scene, police said.
In non-fatal shootings:
• At 2:07 a.m. Monday, a 37-year-old woman was shot in South Chicago, police said.
The woman was a passenger in a car driving southbound in the 8000 block of South Exchange Avenue when shots rang out, police said. She was struck in his left shoulder and was taken to South Shore Hospital, where her condition was not released but police considered her to be stable.
• At 9:16 p.m. Sunday, a 40-year-old man was shot in West Englewood, police said.
He was in the basement of a home in the 6200 block of South Honore Street when he was shot in his left leg, police said. The man was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital, where his condition was not released but police were considering him to be stable.
• At 4:53 p.m., a 17-year-old was shot in a Humboldt Park attack, police said.
He was outside in the 700 block of North Harding Avenue when he was shot in his leg and was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital in good condition, police said. The teen is a documented gang member, a police source said.
• At 3:34 p.m., a man was shot in Auburn Gresham, police said.
The man, whose age is unknown, was shot in the leg in the 8200 block of South Carpenter Avenue, police said. He refused medical attention at the scene, police said.
A person of interest is being questioned in the attack, police said. The shooting victim is being uncooperative, a police source said.
• At 2:36 p.m., an 18-year-old man was shot in South Shore.
He was on the sidewalk in the 2900 block of East 79th Street when a maroon-colored car drove by and someone inside began firing, police said. He was struck in his leg and was taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital in critical condition, police said.
For more neighborhood news, listen to DNAinfo Radio here.
