Another violent weekend in Chicago resulted in the deaths of 10 people, including one 86-year-old man, and left 43 others injured.
In one dramatic incident, residents on the city’s North Side were awoken by the sounds of continuous gunfire, according to a local ABC affiliate station.
“We were asleep and heard rapid gunfire, maybe 20 or 30 gunshots right outside of our house, so we kind of hit the floor,” said Robyn Johnson, whose car was damaged by gunfire in the incident.
Another witness, Stephen Kottra, said he saw an armed man in the middle of the road yelling while shooting down the street.
“Walking down the street here, firing down that way, randomly or [at] a car. The guy here was shooting and screaming, but we could not understand a word he said,” Kottra said.
A nearby church and several cars were damaged during the shooting, which Johnson said has left many locals fearful.
“It was scary to be within just feet of your house and hear the crack of the gun and the voices of the shooters yelling,” Johnson said.
In another incident, an 86-year-old man was found shot dead on the city’s South Side. The unidentified man was shot in the leg by an 85-year-old man during a domestic dispute, police said. The victim was pronounced dead at the scene, and the shooter was taken into custody.
Overall, Chicago Police Superintendent David Brown said police made 52 gun arrests over the weekend and confiscated 87 guns.
“If Chicago is going to be a safer city, reducing violent crime to historical lows, it will be because of community policing,” Brown said during a Monday morning press conference.
The violence in America’s third-largest city comes as widespread debate on law enforcement has gripped the nation in the wake of George Floyd’s death in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Some have called for total reform to law enforcement, including defunding police departments, in favor of a community-policing approach.
