Thread: Chicago Had 50 Homicides, 280 Shootings In January

Monday February 1st, 2016, 10:33am

Chicago Had 50 Homicides, 280 Shootings In January

Chicago saw 280 shootings and 50 homicides just in the last month.

January's homicide tally has not been that high since at least the year 2000, according to a Chicago Tribune review of publicly available crime numbers.

According to Interim Police Supt. John Escalante, the "unacceptable increase in violence was driven primarily by gang conflicts and retaliatory violence."

"The vast majority of incidents originated from petty disagreements that escalated into gun violence that tore apart families," he stated. "Chicagoans should know that detectives are making progress in January's investigations and have already solved 14 murder cases this month."

The crime spike follows public furor over last November's release of the Laquan McDonald shooting video as well as other high-profile police shootings in the city.

The public scrutiny over police misconduct appears to be a concern among Chicago officers.

"I've gone to the roll calls and I've heard their concerns about not wanting to be the next viral video," Escalante stated. "Even when they're doing something right, it may not be perceived that way."

Some police officers, meanwhile, claim a so-called "ACLU effect" could be a factor behind the recent crime spike.

Last year, the city and ACLU entered into an agreement to reform the police department's stop-and-frisk practices. As part of the agreement, police have had to collect more information on "contact cards" used to document a stop as of January.

The number of completed contact cards was down 79 percent last month compared to the same time in 2015. Some police officers say they are making fewer stops due to the length of time needed to complete the contact cards. They also said they are worried about repercussions they could face for making a stop eventually determined to be illegal.

In light of the drop in completed contact cards, Escalante told theChicago Sun-Times that the department is "conducting training on the new investigative stop law and reporting requirements and that is taking place three shifts per day."

The ACLU disagrees with claims that the spike in Chicago shootings is connected to the decrease in police stops. An ACLU official pointed out that other municipalities did not experience an uptick in shootings when they reduced police stops.

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireS...-2015-36633456

6 killed, 23 wounded in last weekend in violent month in Chicago

Chicago police investigate a fatal shooting in the 1100 block of North Springfield Avenue, where a man was shot to death late Saturday.
(Alexandra Chachkevitch / Chicago Tribune)


Megan Crepeau and Alexandra Chachkevitch Contact Reporters Chicago Tribune


Six people were killed and at least 23 others were wounded in shootings over the weekend as Chicago closed out its most violent January in at least 16 years.

From Friday evening to Saturday morning, three people were killed and seven were wounded.

From Saturday to Sunday, two were killed and 10 wounded, and from Sunday afternoon through early Monday morning, one person was killed and six were wounded.

At least 292 people were shot in January, police said. That's nearly double from the same period last year.

In all, 50 people were killed in January, including beating and stabbing deaths. That’s the greatest number of January homicides since at least 2000. Statistics from before that year have not been made public.

The statistics do not include officer-involved shootings, including one early Sunday that killed a man in Derrick Rose's childhood home in West Englewood.
— February’s first homicide occurred at 12:30 a.m. Monday when a 42-year-old man was shot in the chest in the 500 block of South Cicero Avenue. He was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital and pronounced dead.
— A 30-year-old man was killed at 5:15 a.m. Sunday in the 400 block of East 62nd Street, police said. He had broken into an apartment and began struggling with a woman who pulled out a gun and shot him. The woman has a valid FOID card, and she and the man knew each other.


Bloody start to year as homicides hit 50, worst January since at least 2000

— At 10:45 p.m. Saturday, a 34-year-old man was shot on the sidewalk in the 1100 block of North Springfield Avenue in Humboldt Park. He was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital and pronounced dead.
— At 2:55 a.m. Saturday, a 26-year-old man was found fatally shot in a car near the intersection of Kilbourn Avenue and Washington Boulevard. He was pronounced dead at the scene. He was identified as Demorrow Stephens, of the 900 block of North Waller Avenue, according to the Cook County medical examiner's office.
— Just after 1 a.m. Saturday, 19-year-old Damon Allen Jr. was found in the 5900 block of South Bishop Street with gunshot wounds to the head and chest. He was pronounced dead shortly afterward. He lived in 1400 block of North Central Avenue, according to the Cook County medical examiner's office.
— The weekend’s first fatal shooting was at 6:20 p.m. Friday in the 5100 block of West Division Street, where a 20-year-old man was shot several times in the back. He was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital, where he died. He was identified as Martice White, of the 5000 block of West Concord Place in Chicago. He was pronounced dead about 8:15 p.m., according to the Cook County medical examiner's office.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/l...201-story.html

Chicago gun laws are working for the criminals.