Chicago, IL – Wednesday saw a shocking wave of violence in the Windy City, with 20 people shot over the course of a single day.
Just one month ago, Chicago police announced that crime had fallen 8 percent in the first quarter of 2013 compared to the same period a year earlier and 15 percent from 2011. Murders had fallen by 42 percent, and shootings were down by 27 percent.
Then on Wednesday, the city’s first 80-degree day in seven months, 20 people were shot at an average of one per hour at one point. Three victims of the shootings died. Per NBC Chicago :
“A man in his 30s was found dead in an alley in the 1900 block of South Drake overnight. After midnight, the first murder of May happened in the South Shore neighborhood where a 27-year-old man was shot in the chest near his home at 68th and Cornell. Neighbors said the man was a father of three.
“Another shooting happened in front of the University of Illinois-Chicago police station, where three men were struck around 10:40 p.m. A 19- year-old died. Police said he was a known gang member.”
Also among the victims was a 10-year-old boy, who was wounded when a group of men nearby started fighting. During the fight, one of the men pulled a gun and opened fire.
“I’m assuming he was shooting at the other individuals,” said Officer Hector Alfaro, a spokesperson for the police. “He wasn’t shooting at the child.”
The boy was wounded and taken to Mount Sinai Hospital, where he is currently believed to be “stable.”
Chicago detectives are still investigating the shootings on Thursday. No arrests have been made, and whether or not the shootings were the result of gang activity is unknown.
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