104 Shot, 14 Dead Over Violent Father’s Day Weekend in Chicago: Police

A Chicago police officer in a file photo. Scott Olson/Getty Images

Chicago police officials reported that 104 people were shot, including 14 deaths, over the Father’s Day weekend from Friday evening to Monday morning.

It’s the highest number of gun violence victims to be reported in a single weekend in Chicago this year.

Chicago Police Supt. David Brown lamented the surge in shootings in recent days on Sunday.

“Bullets don’t just tear apart the things they strike,” Brown said, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. “Bullets also tear apart families. Bullets destroy neighborhoods and they ruin any sense of safety in a community.”

Brown noted in a press conference that several police officers risked their lives this weekend, adding that some offenders will likely get released from custody after being arrested.

A 3-year-old boy, a 13-year-old girl, a 16-year-old boy, and a 17-year-old boy were shot and killed over the weekend in separate incidents, authorities said.

“No one should be able to walk away from killing a 3-year-old and a 13-year-old without consequences,” Brown said, according to NBC Chicago.

The 3-year-old was identified by officials as Mehki James. The boy’s stepfather, 27, was driving south near North Central Avenue at Huron Street when someone fired shots at his vehicle, killing the boy, according to CBS Chicago.

“Tears are a natural reaction to these tragic stories of violence. But we need to do more than just cry,” Brown added, CBS Chicago reported. “Let’s keep violent offenders in jail longer, and let’s revamp the home monitoring system. It’s not working.”

He said the underlying issue is that violent criminals are free on home monitoring, but no one is monitoring them.

Rev. Ira Acree, in a news conference, said that Mekhi’s death means “a line was crossed.”

“It would be an ultimate contradiction to march for justice for George Floyd and not say a word about a 3-year-old who can’t defend himself or speak for himself,” he said. “Don’t miss the point. We say Black lives matter. Black babies’ lives matter more.”

Officials noted that 12 minors were shot over the weekend. That included a 13-year-old girl who was killed by a stray bullet.

“The girl was watching television when shots rang out, striking her in the back,” Brown was quoted by the CBS affiliate as saying. “She died 30 minutes later.”

He added: “I put myself in that house, holding that little girl as she struggles to breathe. I put myself in that hospital.”

The latest fatal shooting was reported in the Lawndale neighborhood on early Monday, officials told the Sun-Times, when a 41-year-old male was shot in the face and died about an hour later at Stroger Hospital.  A person of interest was taken into police custody.

Minutes earlier, another man was shot and killed in East Garfield Park. A 30-year-old male was walking outside near the park at around 4 a.m. when someone fired at him from the alley, said police.

Chicago’s Fraternal Order of Police has not responded to a request for comment.