Chicago's Shooting Rate Is Alarmingly High Despite Gun Arrests
By Stephen Gossett in News on Aug 11, 2016 3:33PM
At least 99 people were shot in Chicago in just seven days— between the afternoon of Friday, Aug 5 and Thursday morning—according to the Tribune.
That stretch includes one day that stands out in particular for its violence: Monday saw nine people fatally shot. It was deadliest single day in Chicago in over a decade, the paper reports. Another ten were wounded that day, including Tavon Tanner, a 10-year-old boy who was shot in the back while standing on the sidewalk in front of his home.
Earlier this month, Chicago Police Department Supt. Eddie Johnson advocated for stricter gun laws and more stringent sentencing guidelines for repeat offenders, while still allowing judges leeway when determining sentences.
“We’re doing a good job of arresting people and recovering these weapons. But we absolutely drop the ball when it comes to holding people accountable. These repeat gun offenders are telling us they don’t want to play by the same rules,” Johnson said, according to WTTW.
Gun arrests have gone up by seven percent through July compared to 2015, Johnson said. The police department made roughly 1900 gun arrests during that timeframe, according to the top cop.
But the uptick in gun violence still continues. There have been 2,514 shooting victims in Chicago so far this year, according to Tribune data. At the same time in 2015, that figure was only 1,725. The city averaged more than two murders per day in June.
In a detailed analysis last month, the Tribune found that gun violence disproportionately hits segments of the South and West Sides. Factors cited include poverty and easy access to firearms—in part due to laxer gun laws in Indiana. The president of the police union, Dean Angelo Sr., blamed a decrease in street stops on vast amounts of paperwork that officers must file. Another common criticism is that officers “go fetal” and disengage from a potential stop due to fear of reprisal amid increased scrutiny of police accountability, a claim which the American Civil Liberties Union has disputed.