Chicago police are continuing to investigate a series of shootings that left at least seven people dead and more than 40 injured in the city’s deadliest weekend of the year.
The shootings began late Friday, killing one person and injuring 13 others. Another 34 were shot—seven of them killed—from Saturday afternoon to Father’s Day Sunday. The youngest victim was 15-year-old Michael Westley who was fatally shot by a police officer Sunday night in Chicago’s South Side after the teenager allegedly pointed a handgun at them, The Chicago Tribune reported.
“There’s going to be good days and there’s going to be bad days, which is why we’ve been calling this progress, not victory,” said Adam Collins, a spokesman for the Chicago Police Department to the Tribune.
Shootings were on the decline this year—down 42% from 2012 —up until this weekend’s gun violence. Despite the dip in overall violence, this weekend’s shooting is not far off from a similar shooting during Memorial Day weekend last June that injured 53 people, nine of whom were shot fatally.
Vice President Joe Biden will deliver remarks Tuesday on the administration’s efforts to reduce gun violence. His remarks will be the first time the White House has publicly spoken about gun control measures since April, when gun legislation that would have expanded background checks on all gun purchases failed in the Senate.
Clare Kim