Chicago Police: Majority of Christmas weekend violence is gang-related
Chicago police say more than 40 people were shot over the holiday weekend and more than three dozen guns were seized.
CNN reports 12 people were killed in the Windy City over the weekend.
The shooting tally includes violence at a family Christmas party on the city’s South Side at which two brothers were killed and several others wounded.
Police say people were gathered on a porch for a party Sunday night when someone walked out of a nearby alley and opened fire. No one is in custody and a motive has not been released.
The Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office identified the victims as 18-year-old James Gill, who was pronounced dead at the scene, and 21-year-old Roy Gill. He died later at a hospital. Several others were hospitalized for injuries.
Police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said in a statement the majority of shootings and homicides from Friday afternoon through Monday morning were “targeted attacks by gangs against potential rivals who were at holiday gatherings.”
He says 45 guns have been seized since Friday afternoon, which is slightly more than a typical weekend.
Violence over the holiday weekend comes during a surge in city violence. More than 700 homicides have been reported this year. Last year, fewer than 500 homicides were reported.
