Despite renwed efforts to reduce gun violence in Chicago, five people were killed and at least 32 others were wounded in shootings in the city over the weekend.
In the same weekend last year, 18 people were shot, one of them fatally.
The violent weekend — Friday afternoon to early Monday — came after the Chicago Police Department announced that it would join with teams from the Cook County Sheriff’s Office, Illinois State Police and the FBI to conduct “targeted enforcement missions” in three districts to combat gun violence.
Homicides are up in Chicago by 54 percent compared to the same period in 2015. According to the Chicago Tribune, shootings are also up 46 percent.
Chicago has seen more than 675 recorded homicides this year. If the current trends continue, the city could surpass 70 homicides before the end of 2016 for the first time since 1998.
