Sayeed Muhammad: At least five people died as some 44 people were shot across the Midwestern US city of Chicago on Sunday, US media reported, saying the development that came in a wave of violence which police branded “totally unacceptable”.
Fred Waller, chief of patrol at Chicago Police, told a press briefing on Sunday afternoon that some of the shootings were “targeted” and related to gang conflicts, repots AfP.
“The city of Chicago experienced a violent night. Incidents of either random or targeted shooting on our streets is totally unacceptable,” he said.
Meanwhile, CNN reported multiple shootings took place between midnight and 2:00 pm local time, with at least 10 taking place in just three hours from 1:30 am.
Gunmen targeted groups including one gathering of people gathering at a funeral repast, police said, adding, one of the injured victims is just 11.
Chicago experienced a near 20-year record number of murders in 2016, forcing US President Donald Trump to regularly single out the city for criticism.
According to Waller, there has been a reduction in shootings of over 30 per cent in Chicago, while murders are down by 25 per cent, as yet this year.
“That’s not a victory by any means, or any stretch” he said. “But we continue to head in the right direction.”
More than 5,500 illegal guns had been confiscated from the city’s streets, the police official maintained.
“I promise this city, we won’t be defeated,” he vowed during the press conference, adding: “We all live in this city. We all want this city to be safer.”