Chicago Gun Violence: 2 Dead, 22 Injured In 12 Hours

Chicago’s gun violence is reportedly to blame for the death of two individuals and another 22 injuries all within a twelve-hour time period. According to ABC News, police are calling the string of shootings “unacceptable,” and have said “there is clearly much more work to be done” when it comes to the gun violence in the area.

This recent string of shootings comes two weeks after Chicago saw a bloody fourth of July weekend. According to a previous report by The Inquisitr, Chicago’s gun violence resulted in 82 people shot and another 14 who were killed over the holiday weekend. The shootings took place between Thursday afternoon, July 3, and early Monday morning on July 7.

According to the report, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel called the gun violence “unacceptable” and “Chicago Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy said that weakened gun laws bore the brunt of blame for the shootings.”

Chicago’s recent string of shootings is to blame for the death of an 11-year-old girl who was shot and killed during a sleepover Friday evening. According to the Chicago Tribune, Shamiya Adama, 11, was sitting on a bedroom floor in her best friend’s home when a bullet crashed through the wall and struck her in the head.

Adama was rushed to Mount Sinai Hospital, where the family kept an overnight vigil until she was pronounced dead at 7:33 Saturday morning. “Just be with us, God. We need you now,” one woman pleaded as a black SUV filled with police rolled past, according to the Chicago Tribune. “We need you now like never before.”

ABC News reported that the second homicide occurred around 3 am in Chicago’s Austin neighborhood, where police reportedly found a man dead of multiple gunshot wounds. The man was found in the front seat of a car with gunshot wounds to the neck, back, and shoulder and was pronounced dead at the scene.

Many residents in Chicago and the surrounding areas are become more and more unnerved as the gun violence continues to rise. While many believe that the rise in violence is a result of weak gun laws, McCarthy has stated that they are continuing to build on their plan of action:

“We will keep building on our strategy, putting more officers on the street in summer months, proactively intervening in gang conflicts, partnering with community leaders,” Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy said in a statement.

While officials continue to try and put residents at ease, the constant string of violence has many feeling not only uneasy, but downright frightened. What do you think the Mayor and other officials should be doing about the issue of Chicago’s gun violence?

[Image by Keith Levit / Shutterstock.com]