Chicago, Illinois was shaken by a spate of gun violence over the Christmas weekend, starting from December 22, 2023.
This series of shootings led to at least three fatalities and 17 people being injured. The age range of those affected spanned from 18 to 56 years.
The onset of the violence was marked by a shooting on South Morgan Street, where a 25-year-old man was shot inside a residence. He was later admitted to the University of Chicago Medical Center in a stable condition. A person of interest was taken into custody, and a firearm was recovered from the location.
Shortly after, a 28-year-old woman was shot while driving on West 83rd Street by an assailant in a blue Jeep. She sought help at a nearby gas station and was then hospitalized in fair condition with wounds to her legs and abdomen.
Throughout the night, the violence persisted. An 18-year-old man suffered a facial gunshot wound on South Halsted Street and was treated in fair condition.
As Saturday dawned, the shooting incidents continued across Chicago. A 37-year-old driver was shot in the leg on West 71st Street, causing him to crash. He was treated and is in good condition.
A 56-year-old man sitting in his vehicle on South May Street was also shot in the chest and hospitalized in stable condition.
In the early hours, a confrontation on West 92nd Street led to a 38-year-old woman and a 46-year-old man receiving gunshot wounds. They were both admitted to Christ Hospital in fair condition.
Later in the day, a 28-year-old man was critically injured after being shot in the head on West 55th Street and later died from his injuries.
In separate incidents, a 19-year-old man was fatally shot in the chest in an alley on West Cortez Street. A 37-year-old man also suffered leg injuries from a shooting on East 87th Street.
A fatal shooting in the backyard of a residence on South Crieger Avenue took the life of a 24-year-old man. Additionally, a 40-year-old man was involved in a knife-related altercation at the Red Line’s Garfield Boulevard station, resulting in him being shot in the shoulder.
The violence did not abate on Sunday. An unidentified 28-year-old man arrived at Mt. Sinai Hospital with leg injuries from a shooting. A 19-year-old was shot in the shoulder on South Albany Avenue, and an 18-year-old was wounded in the leg on South Washtenaw Avenue. Another 24-year-old man was shot in the leg on South Martin Luther King Drive.
Unrest extended into Monday, with a 20-year-old man being shot in the hip in North Monticello and a 29-year-old victim of an attempted robbery shot in the thigh on West Armitage Avenue.
The Chicago Police Department is investigating these incidents, which reflect a persistent issue of gun violence in the city. The specifics of most shootings, including suspect details, are still under investigation.