Chicago Police Frustrated Over Continuing Gun Violence
(CBS) – Eight people were killed and 52 were wounded in shootings over the weekend in Chicago. It's the third time this year shootings have reached 60 in one weekend.
Chicago Police First Deputy Superintendent John Escalante says much of the violence occurred on the West Side. He says much of the gunfire citywide is driven by a small population that includes convicted criminals.
"Here's an example," he says. "In the 4500 block of Maypole, we had a murder, a 38-year-old man. I don't mean to victimize the victim any further, but our frustration is, in 1995, he was sentenced to 46 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections for a murder."
"He was paroled last year. How and why he is on the street I don't know, but if he was still serving his sentence he wouldn't be a murder victim right now," Escalante added.
WBBM's Lisa Fielding
Escalante also talked about a 20-year-old man who was killed in the 500 block of Lavergne. That victim had 61 arrests.
"Sixty-one arrests at the age of 20 years old? That's the frustration we deal with," he says.
Escalante called for better accountability and stricter sentencing laws and asked for outside help.
"No matter what kind of strategies we put in place each weekend, until we get everyone else -- whether it's the courts, state legislators, community activists -- to step up with us and hold people accountable for the gun violence, we'll continue to see it."
Top brass met at police headquarters Monday to come up with a better anti-violence strategy.
Escalante said 75 percent of shooting victims this weekend were on the department's "strategic subject list."
"We have not given up. That's why the commanders are here today to see what we can do this week to start bringing that violence down again," he said.
