In preparation for the historically violent weekend, the Chicago Police Department canceled days off and put officers on 12-hour shifts while community groups fanned out across the city to draw people out of the line of fire.
Two people have been killed and at least 28 others wounded in shootings across Chicago over Memorial Day weekend.
In preparation for the historically violent weekend, the Chicago Police Department canceled days off and put officers on 12-hour shifts. Meanwhile, community groups fanned out across the city to draw people out of the line of fire.
“This is our city that we love, and there is loss of life, and it should make us weep and roll up our sleeves,” said John Fuder of Chicagoland United in Prayer, whose group is sponsoring prayer marches across the city this weekend.
Shootings are up 36% this year compared to the same period in 2020, according to Sun-Times data. Homicides are spiking in areas long afflicted with gun violence.
Last year, Memorial Day weekend saw 10 people shot dead and 39 others wounded — the deadliest Memorial Day weekend since 2015.
In the most recent fatal attack, a 29-year-old man was killed Saturday night in a shooting in Logan Square on the Northwest Side.
Mike Alicea was on the sidewalk about 9 p.m. when someone got out of a vehicle in the 3700 block of West McLean Avenue and began shooting, according to Chicago Police.
He was struck in the arm and leg and taken to Illinois Masonic Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead, police said.
Residents in the block watched investigators work from their porches and windows.
“I can’t say I’m shocked,” a woman who was returning home with her husband said. “As soon as it gets warm the shooters come outside.”
“We usually hear about shootings about a block away from here, or in the alleys a block away; it has never made it to our front yard like this,” her husband added.
Hours earlier, a 26-year-old man was fatally shot while driving in Lawndale on the West Side.
Luis Poole was driving east on Ogden Avenue when he was shot in the face and chest, police said. The vehicle he was driving came to a rest after striking a light pole in the 3100 block West Ogden Avenue.
Poole was brought to Mt. Sinai Hospital where he was pronounced dead, police said.
Four teens were shot Sunday night as they stood in the parking lot of a restaurant in Grand Crossing on the South Side.
The group was standing in the parking lot of a Subway, 6718 S. Stony Island Ave., when a dark-colored sedan drove by and someone inside fired shots, police said.
Two 19-year-old, struck in the legs and feet, were taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center in good condition.
An 18-year-old man and a 17-year-old boy were struck in their legs, police said. They were also in good condition.
In nonfatal attacks, two men were wounded in a shooting early Monday in Belmont Cragin on the Northwest Side.
The pair were standing outside about 3:45 a.m. in the 5700 block of West Grand Avenue when the male suspect approached them and asked what gang they were affiliated with, police said.
The men responded that they were not a part of a gang, police said. The male suspect then pulled out a handgun and fired shots before leaving the scene.
One man, 33, was struck in the arm and torso and critically wounded, police said. The other, 31, was shot in the leg and in good condition.
A man was wounded in a shooting on Lake Shore Drive early Sunday in the Near South Side. The 20-year-old was traveling south about 12:30 a.m. in the 1200 block of South Lake Shore Drive when he heard shots and felt pain, police and Chicago Fire officials said.
He was shot in the face and was transported to Northwestern Memorial Hospital, where his condition was stable, police said.
A 12-year-old boy was grazed by a bullet early Saturday in Great Crossing on the South Side. The boy was with a group of people about 1 a.m. when someone inside a black Dodge Charger fired shots in the 7100 block of South Dobson Avenue, police said.
A bullet grazed his leg and he was taken to Comer Children’s Hospital in good condition, police said. He may not have been the intended target, according to police.
At least 20 others were wounded in citywide gun violence over Memorial Day weekend, which lasts from 5 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m. Tuesday.
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