Chicago saw its 500th homicide of the year over the Labor Day weekend as the country’s third-largest city approaches a death toll not seen in decades.
Thirteen people were fatally shot during the long weekend, the Chicago Tribune reported Tuesday. Nine of the homicides occurred between 6 a.m. Monday and 3 a.m. Tuesday, and victims include a retired pastor and a woman who was 9 months pregnant, according to the newspaper.
The city now has 512 homicides since Jan. 1, equaling 2015’s tally of 512 and putting the city on pace to eclipse every year’s death toll dating back to the mid-1990s, the Tribune reported.
The long weekend’s wave of killings occurred in the wake of August being the city’s deadliest month in 20 years with 90 people killed — up from 54 in August 2015.
“The historical cycle of violence we have seen in some communities must come to an end,” Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson said in a statement last week. “Repeat gun offenders who drive the violence on our streets should not be there in the first place, and it is time to change the laws to ensure these violent offenders are held accountable for their crimes.”
Mayor Rahm Emanuel said during a press conference Friday that he’s exploring ways to deploy additional police officers to keep the homicide count from rising.
“It is a complex problem with multidimensional facets to it,” he said. “It’s not just about more police, but it will include that. But it’s also about more resources for our children, more resources for our neighborhoods and stiffer laws that reflect the values of our city.”
Chicago’s annual homicide tally hasn’t surpassed 600 since 2003, and last exceeded 700 in 1998. On Monday, CNN projected that the city could see close to 700 homicides by the end of the year at the current rate.
Chicago has already seen more homicides reported in 2016 than New York City and Los Angeles combined, the Tribune reported.
At least 2,930 people have been shot so far this year in Chicago, including 65 during Labor Day weekend alone, the Tribune reported.
• Andrew Blake can be reached at ablake@washingtontimes.com.
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