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At Least Two People Shot Every Hour During Saturday Night And Sunday Morning

By Sam Bakken in News on Jun 27, 2005 9:23PM

Guns Fired By People Kill PeopleWay to go Chi-Town! We may have lost the coveted title of "America's Murder Capital" in 2004, but the showing we gave across the entire city Saturday night and early Sunday morning is proof that we aren't about to give the title up again without a fight—a blazing gunfight that is.

According to an "unofficial" tally by the Sun-Times, two dozen people were shot in less than 12 hours (from Saturday night through Sunday morning from the North Side of the city to the South). It appears that so far only two people have died from their gunshot wounds. Another individual is listed in critical condition.

One of the people who died was shot near the Taste of Chicago. We already told you not to go, but if you didn't listen to us you may have had quite a scare—that'll teach you (you LISTEN to your mother from now on). On Saturday night at the intersection of Wabash Ave. and Jackson Blvd., 20-year-old Christopher Sanders was killed during a scuffle over stolen money. Witnesses say a group of young men were playing buckets with drumsticks along Wabash and harassed a young woman as she walked with a friend to the El. One member of the group also allegedly stole money from the friend. The young women then called friends for help and a fight started.

One member of the group shot Sanders (a teenage boy was shot in the calf last year at Taste) and another person involved in the tussle. That person was shot in the back and is expected to recover, but he hasn't been identified. A 20-year-old chemical engineering student at the University of Michigan was also shot, but police say he was not a target. Police have identified the student as Jeffrey Magner and he told the Sun-Times his story. To keep abreast of the latest developments of Chicago's bid to reclaim our 2003 title-belt, go here.