At least 14 people were shot, with two fatalities, during the weekend in Chicago. According to reports, the first fatal shooting occurred on Friday just prior to 10:30 p.m., when a 49-year-old man was found with numerous gunshot wounds in the 100 block of East 71st Street. He was pronounced dead at the hospital.
A second fatal shooting took place on Monday at 4:15 a.m. in the 9900 block of South State Street, leaving a 57-year-old man in critical condition before he succumbed to his injuries.
This weekend's violence adds to Chicago's already high murder rate, with 204 people murdered in the city so far this year, according to data from The Chicago Sun-Times. Mayor Brandon Johnson (D) has responded to the crisis by creating a Department of Gun Violence Reduction and signing an executive order designating over $100 million for the department.
The creation of this new department comes as Chicago faces a nearly $1 billion budget shortfall. Despite having some of the most stringent gun controls in the country, including city and county regulations, violence continues to plague the city.
Mayor Johnson has announced his desire for a five-year plan to reduce gun violence, but it remains to be seen whether such efforts will have an impact on Chicago's crime rate.