More than 70 people were shot over the weekend in Chicago, a surge in gun violence that local police have blamed on gang violence and access to weapons.
The Chicago Tribune reported that 11 people were killed and 63 people were wounded in a spate of gun violence between Friday afternoon and Monday morning. Most of the shootings happened on the city’s South and West sides, with victims ranging in age from 11 to 62.
At least four people were shot in six separate incidents early Sunday, the Tribune reported. Another shooting early Monday wounded eight people, including two teenagers.
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At a press conference on Sunday morning, Chicago Police chief of patrol Fred Waller said the spike in violence could be attributed in part to gang members shooting into crowds.
“They take advantage of that opportunity and they shoot into a crowd, no matter who they hit,” Waller said.
Chicago has long struggled to curb gun violence in certain reaches of the city. The Tribune reported that at least 1,700 people have been shot in the city this year. That number is lower than the last two years through this date.
The city’s police department earlier this year reported a drop in gun violence for the 13th straight month.
President Trump has in the past taken note of the violence in Chicago, vowing last year to send in federal assistance to address the problem.
Protesters took to Lake Shore Drive during the city’s rush hour last week as part of an anti-violence protest. Demonstrators called on Mayor Rahm Emanuel (D) to take action to stop gun violence.
Emanuel has positioned himself as an anti-Trump stalwart. The former chief of staff for former President Obama said last year that the city would brand itself as a place where Trump is not welcome.
Rudy Giuliani, the former New York City Mayor who is now Trump’s top attorney in the Russia investigation, has seized on the city’s violence to embrace former Chicago Police Chief Garry McCarthy, who is running against Emanuel in next year’s mayoral race.
“63 murders this weekend in Rahm Emmanuel’s Chicago,” Giuliani tweeted, likely mistaking the number shot for the number murdered.
“His legacy more murders in his city than ever before,” he continued. “It’s only because of Democrat brain washing that he has even a chance of remaining. Support police professional Garry McCarthy.”