4 Killed, 29 Wounded Since Start Of July 4th Holiday Weekend
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Even with 1,500 additional police officers on duty, the holiday weekend has gotten off to a bloody start, with at least 33 people shot since July 4th, four of them fatally.
The weekend's violence included a shooting in the South Shore neighborhood which left five people wounded.
Police said officers responding to a call of shots fired shortly after 2 a.m. found five people who had been shot near 67th and Stony Island:
• an 18-year-old woman had been shot in the chest and arm, and was stabilized at the University of Chicago Medical Center;
• a 33-year-old man was shot twice in the back, and was taken to the University of Chicago in good condition;
• an 18-year-old man was shot in the chest and leg, and was stabilized at the University of Chicago;
• a 20-year-old woman was shot in the ankle, and was in good condition at the University of Chicago;
• a 26-year-old man was shot in the leg, and was in good condition at Stroger Hospital.
Meantime, the most recent fatal shooting happened around 3 a.m. in the Fuller Park neighborhood.
Police said a gunman approached a 22-year-old woman near 42nd and Wells, and shot her once in the head. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
About 15 minutes earlier, a 37-year-old man was killed and a 32-year-old woman was wounded, when they were shot after getting into a fight with a group of people near Lavergne and Augusta in the Austin neighborhood.
The man was shot in the chest, and was taken to West Suburban Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead. The woman was shot twice in the arm, and went to Stroger Hospital, where she was stabilized.
There were two other fatal shootings on July 4th.
In Humboldt Park, a 32-year-old man was killed when he was shot while standing near the intersection of Homan and Iowa around 11:30 a.m. A 31-year-old man, a 23-year-old man, and a 17-year-old boy also were wounded in the shooting.
Around 1:30 a.m. in the West Garfield Park neighborhood, a 35-year-old woman was drinking with a man inside a home near Wilcox and Kildare, when one of them pulled out a gun. The woman was shot in the head during a struggle over the weapon, and was pronounced dead at the scene.
In an effort to interrupt the violence and strengthen community relations, police planned to team up with city agencies and neighborhood outreach groups on Friday for "Operation Clean Up," which the department described as a "coordinated mission of city services."
Chicago police have said they can't prevent violent crime alone. Friday morning, they took part in a group effort in Roseland, focusing on an area considered the most troubled police beat in the neighborhood.
"From 99th to 104th, from State back over to Princeton, that's our target area today," said Chicago Police Department director of public engagement Glen Brooks. "Not only are we going to come in with the Department of Streets and Sanitation, we have the Department of Water out here, we have BACP (Business Affairs and Consumer Protection) out here, we have Department of Transportation, we have Department of Buildings, we have the Chicago Police Department."
City crews worked Friday morning to remove graffiti, clean up vacant lots, and inspect and secure vacant buildings.
Police officers from the 5th District also spoke to local businesses to continue building relationships with the community. Police said it's part of their "all hands on deck" approach the mayor has said is needed to fight crime around the city.
"It makes me feel real good and secure to know that we are finally getting a change to come in our neighborhood," said pastor Kim Miller, of Healing Rivers Outreach Ministry. "We always see out in the suburbs the beautiful neighborhoods, clean and everything. So to see it come to our neighborhood, it is awesome."
The efforts will continue throughout the weekend. On Saturday, community organizers plan to go door-to-door to try to rally residents to take back their neighborhoods.
