Chicago residents demand more police attention and resources for local homicide cases – NBC Chicago

Family members of murder victims in Chicago’s Southwest Side neighborhood demonstrated outside Chicago’s 2nd District Police Station on Wednesday, demanding more action on unsolved murder cases.

Jose Molina lost his 9-year-old daughter, Ariana, in a mass shooting in the city’s Back of the Yards neighborhood on April 13. Her murder remains unsolved to this day.

“We need justice for them. You need to find out who did this to my daughter – she doesn’t deserve this. She was only 9 years old,” Molina said.

Juanita Arias attended the demonstration demanding justice for her 27-year-old son, who was killed in the Brighton Park neighborhood in September 2023.

In a statement to NBC Chicago, Chicago police said detectives are working around the clock to seek justice for victims of senseless violence and their families.

“In recent years, Chicago Police investigators have steadily increased murder clearance rates in an effort to achieve this justice. “Last year, the Bureau of Detectives solved 319 murder cases, increasing the homicide clearance rate to 51.7%, the highest level since 2019,” police said.

The victims’ families met with investigators following the demonstration to get an update on their respective cases.