(WBBM NEWSRADIO) – Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson has released a public statement about “intolerable” levels of violence that occurred across the city over the Memorial Day Weekend.
By early Tuesday, at least 11 people had been killed and another 46 wounded since early Friday evening. The death toll was the highest since 2015, when 12 people were killed. The total number shot, however, was still far below the 71 people wounded by gunfire over the 2016 holiday weekend.
“The violence our city experienced this weekend is intolerable,” Johnson said Tuesday in a prepared statement. “It produced pain and trauma that devastated communities across Chicago, and my heart breaks for everyone affected.”
Johnson credited a variety of individuals – from police officers and first responders to volunteers and faith leaders – with helping to provide a safe environment for many people across the city.
Along similar lines, Public Safety Committee Chair Brian Hopkins tells CBS Chicago he is pleased with the way Chicago police responded to a disturbance Friday at North Avenue Beach that involved gunfire. No injuries were reported, and two people were taken into custody.
Hopkins, alderman of the 2nd Ward, said the city’s public safety plan is a work in progress.
Johnson, a former teacher and Cook County commissioner, took office earlier this month. He succeeds Lori Lightfoot, whose bid for re-election was unsuccessful and beset by a perception that crime has gotten out of hand in Chicago.
Contributing: Sun-Times Media Wire
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