Chicago shootings: 11 dead and 55 shots fired during the July 4th holiday weekend

Twelve people have been killed and 54 injured in shootings in Chicago over the July 4 long weekend.

Less than two full days of the July 4th long weekend saw no fewer than the same number as the entire holiday weekend last year. Last year, eleven people were killed and 62 others injured on the July 4th weekend – the weekend, like this year, spanned four days, from July 1st to July 4th.

Chicago Police Chief Larry Snelling spoke about the violence at a community event in the Grand Crossing area Friday night.

“Where is our outrage? Where is our anger?” Snelling told the crowd. “I’m angry. I’m pissed. … I don’t want you to think, I don’t want anyone here to think, that the Chicago Police Department is not making these lives a priority.”

He added: “Our officers are out there, we’re out there all over the city trying to keep people safe. … But the police can’t do it alone.”

This year’s holiday violence includes three mass shootings. In one of those shootings, two women and an 8-year-old boy were killed and two boys were left in critical condition Thursday morning after several people fired shots into a home in Greater Grand Crossing on the South Side.

In total, 20 people were shot in the three mass attacks. The last of these mass shootings occurred around 12:15 a.m. Friday, when police responded to gunfire and found eight people wounded by gunfire in the 1300 block of West Hastings Street, according to Chicago police, who said the two shooters fled.

None of the eight people injured in Hastings Street – five women and three men – suffered life-threatening injuries.

Two women, ages 74 and 31, suffered gunshot wounds to the legs and were taken to Stroger Hospital, where they were in fair condition, police said.

Two men, aged 28 and 23, were also shot and taken to Stroger in good condition.

Another 36-year-old man with a gunshot wound to the groin was taken to Stroger in acceptable condition, authorities said.

An 18-year-old woman with abrasions to her head was also taken to Stroger, where she was in good condition, officials said.

Two women, ages 18 and 19, also suffered graze wounds but refused medical attention, police said.

Less than two hours after that incident, at about 1:45 a.m., one man was killed and six others injured in the 100 block of South Menard Avenue after two armed men fired shots and fled, according to police.

Kendall Richardson, 40, was shot in the buttocks and checked himself into Stroger Hospital, where he died, police and the Cook County coroner’s office said. The other victims — three men, two women and a 15-year-old boy — suffered non-life-threatening injuries.

A 15-year-old boy with a gunshot wound to the back was taken to Stroger Hospital in good condition, officials said.

An 18-year-old woman suffered three gunshot wounds to the leg and was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital in good condition, while a second, 20-year-old woman was shot in the back and taken to Stroger Hospital in good condition.

A 23-year-old man was taken to West Suburban Medical Center in Oak Park with a gunshot wound to the leg, officials said. He is in good condition. A second 23-year-old man suffered a gunshot wound to the hip and was taken to Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood in good condition.

A 25-year-old man was shot in the arm and taken to Mount Sinai Hospital. He is in stable condition.

Minutes later, a 16-year-old girl was critically injured early Friday morning at an apartment complex in North Lawndale on the West Side. The incident occurred at about 1:40 a.m. She was in the 1200 block of South Central Park Avenue when someone shot her in the head, police said.

Deadly attacks

• At 7:05 a.m. Friday morning, a man and a woman were found shot to death in the 3400 block of East 87th Street, police said. They were pronounced dead at the scene.
• Two women, 59 and 29, were shot in the 900 block of North Leclaire Avenue around 11:50 p.m. Thursday, police said. The older woman was standing outside when she was shot in the hip and head and taken to Stroger Hospital, where she later died, police said. The younger woman was shot in the torso and also taken to Stroger Hospital, where she was in fair condition, officials said.
• Around the same time, a 35-year-old man was arguing with a gunman in the 6000 block of South Winchester Avenue when the gunman fired several shots at him, police said. The 35-year-old was pronounced dead at Saint Bernard Hospital, police said.
• Less than an hour earlier, a 30-year-old man was standing with a crowd in the street at 8400 South Kerfoot Avenue when he was shot in the torso, police said. He was taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center, where he died, police and the coroner’s office said.
• At about 2:10 a.m. Friday, officers responded to calls about a person shot in the 1200 block of West Washburne Avenue and found a 43-year-old man with numerous gunshot wounds, officials said. He was pronounced dead at Stroger Hospital, police said.
• A 34-year-old man was shot in the neck in the 6200 block of South Laflin Street around 1 a.m. Thursday. He was taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center, where he died, according to police.
• A man was found shot to death Thursday afternoon in Roseland on the South Side. Officers responding to a ShotSpotter alert found the man, whose age was unknown, unconscious in the 9300 block of South Lafayette Avenue around 2:10 p.m., police said. He had gunshot wounds to the chest and flank and was taken to Roseland Community Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, police said.

In addition to the gunshot victims listed above, 36 other people have been wounded by gunfire since 11 p.m. Wednesday, the time the Sun-Times reports as the start of this year’s four-day holiday weekend.