Chicago was rocked by gun violence over the weekend, with at least 60 people wounded and 10 killed in various shootings across the city, according to police.
The shootings occurred in different locations, including the West Side, Lincoln Park, and the South Side, where a Father’s Day celebration in a park turned deadly when two men were killed by a drive-by shooting.
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson expressed his sorrow for every life lost on Monday.
Police are investigating whether social media played a role in triggering the shooting in Roseland, where Kandace Ross lost her husband, Brian Ross, a 32-year-old father of four.
“I heard something like machine guns going off. I looked up and saw a dark car with tinted windows. I ducked down and then it was over,” Kandace said.
Brian was one of two people who died when someone opened fire on a large crowd at Smith Park in the Roseland neighborhood.
“They didn’t care about the kids or anything. They just shot at everyone. Thank God no kids were hit,” Kandace said.
Police said they believe someone at the park was live-streaming on social media, which attracted the shooters to the location.
“Some of those people have enemies and conflicts, and that’s what happened. Someone came and shot at the whole group,” said Interim CPD Supt. Fred Waller.
Other parts of the city also experienced violence over the weekend. Five people were injured in a shooting near the zoo in Lincoln Park. Two teenagers were shot, one fatally, near Garfield Park on the West Side. A shooting happened on the CTA Red Line at a station in Chinatown. A man was chased and shot on Erie Street in River North, as captured by a home security video.
Johnson did not say if any changes are needed in the policing strategy to address the violence, which he said is a longstanding problem.
“We have a multi-layered approach. We need smart and strategic policing, but we also know that policing alone is not enough,” Johnson said.
Brian’s relatives said he was not the intended target, but police said they are not sure yet and are still investigating.
Other shootings over the holiday weekend A man driving in West Garfield Park was killed Monday morning after being shot multiple times, police said. The 32-year-old man was driving around 7:25 a.m. in the 4400 block of West Gladys Avenue when he was shot in different parts of his body, Chicago police said. He crashed into a parked car and was taken to Stroger Hospital where he died, police said. Police are still looking into what caused the shooting.
Another man died Sunday night after being shot during a fight at a fast food restaurant in West Pullman, police said. Around 11 p.m., the 32-year-old man was fighting with another man at the entrance of a fast food restaurant in the 11600 block of South Halsted Street when he was shot in the back, police said. He died at the scene. No one has been arrested and detectives are looking into it.
A man was fatally shot on a sidewalk in Auburn Gresham Sunday night, police said. The 39-year-old man was outside around 9:20 p.m. in the 8800 block of South Kerfoot Avenue when someone shot him, Chicago police said. He was shot in the chest and taken to University of Chicago Medical Center, where he died, police said. No one has been arrested. Area Two detectives are looking into it.
