US: Chicago records 797 homicides and 3561 shooting incidents in 2021

Chicago has recorded a rise in the number of homicides in 2021. According to statistics provided by the police department, there were 797 homicides recorded in Chicago in 2021 which is 25 more than those recorded in 2020 and 299 more than in 2019, according to AP. The number of homicides recorded in 2021 has been the most since 1996.

According to the police department, 3561 shooting incidents have been recorded in 2021, which is more than 300 recorded in 2020. The shooting incidents that have been recorded in 2021 in Chicago is 1415 more than that were recorded in the city in 2019. David Brown, police superintendent, told reporters at a news conference that “too many families are reeling from the loss of loved ones due to senseless gun violence” and called it a “challenging year” in Chicago city, as per the AP report. Brown added that a large number of homicides were reported due to conflicts between rival gangs. 

The police department cleared 400 homicides in 2021

David Brown revealed that the police department had cleared 400 homicides, however, he did not mention the number of cleared homicides that were committed in previous years. Brown intended to increase the number of detectives investigating the crimes from 1100 to 1300 during the first few months of this year. He highlighted that he would employ more new officers in 2022 who would be on the streets and not just in patrol cars or behind desks. 

David Brown said, “There will be more officers on the street, not just in patrol cars or behind desks, to interact with all Chicagoans,” as per AP. Chicago recorded more cases of homicides than any other city in the United States in 2021 including New York and Los Angeles. New York and Los Angeles recorded at least 300 fewer homicides that were recorded in Chicago in 2021.

Chicago reports the first case of homicide in 2022

A man was beaten to death in Grand Boulevard on the South Side in Chicago, reported Chicago Sun-Times. It is reportedly Chicago’s first recorded homicide of the year. The man was fighting with a male in South State Street when the attacker hit him in the head with an object and left the place, as per the news report. The man was taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center, where the doctors pronounced him dead. 

Inputs from AP

Image: AP