Girl, 7, Among Dozens Shot In Weekend Violence

By Gwendolyn Purdom in News on Aug 22, 2016 2:19PM

During one 14-hour stretch of the weekend, the number of shootings in Chicago added up to roughly someone being shot every 33 minutes, according to a Tribune tally. From Saturday afternoon through early Sunday, 25 people were shot across the city. From Sunday afternoon through Sunday evening, at least 15 more people were shot, including a 7-year-old girl, who was shot in the wrist in the Austin neighborhood Sunday evening.

The girl was reportedly shot while attending a vigil for a 14-year-old boy who had been shot and killed nearby hours earlier. And if that's not stark reminder enough of the violence ravaging the city: She was driven to the hospital by the mother of another 7-year-old girl who was shot and killed while selling candy four years ago, according to the Tribune.

So far this year, there have been more than 2,000 shooting incidents in the city, a 48 percent increase from the same period last year. Seven people were shot and killed in this weekend's violence from Friday night to Monday morning.