Chicago Suffers Another Lethal Weekend

3 kids dead, including 10-year-old hit by stray bullet in apartment, 1-year-old hit while riding in car
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Jun 29, 2020 4:00 AM CDT
3 Children Killed in Weekend Chicago Shootings
In this Feb. 17, 2015, file photo, ice covered Lake Michigan is seen behind downtown skyline, in Chicago.   (AP Photo/Kiichiro Sato, File)

Activists and local leaders called for more state and federal support Sunday as weekend shootings across Chicago left three children dead, including a 10-year-old who was struck by a stray bullet that came through an apartment window, the AP reports. The Saturday night death was among at least 10 shooting fatalities since Friday evening, which follow a deadly Father's Day weekend and fresh concerns about a violent summer ahead. A 1-year-old, who was riding in the back of a car when someone opened fire from another car, and 17-year-old were also killed. “It's out of control where even innocent children are losing their lives,” said neighborhood activist Raul Montes Jr., who planned a Sunday evening vigil on the city's southwest side. He called for federal intervention while a state legislator announced a new task force to addressing underlying issues.

“Violence is a result of poverty, and must be addressed with human services and support," said state Rep. La Shawn Ford, a Chicago Democrat. The group called on federal, state, and city leaders for support. “The pain of losing a child never goes away,” Mayor Lori Lightfoot said Saturday on Twitter. “As a mother, I am tired of the funerals. I am tired of burying our children.” Her office said Sunday that the multi-faceted approach to curbing violence in the coming months will include a $7.5 million street outreach program where police partner with organizations and an operations center launched last month. Staff from the park district, schools, and a transit agency will work to “broaden the city’s footprint in places where shootings and homicides have recently occurred.” Over Father’s Day weekend, 14 people, including five children, were killed and more than 100 people were shot, marking the city’s highest number of shooting victims in a single weekend this year.

(More Chicago stories.)

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