13 wounded as gunman opens fire at meet to honor Chicago shooting victim: Police

A meet intended to honour the victim of an earlier shooting in Chicago's south side turned violent when thirteen people were wounded, informed the Police on December 22. Marciano White, 37, was charged with unlawful use of a weapon by a felon and was arrested a short distance from where the party was being held, authorities said. The victims ranged in age from 16 to 48, and 12 were in local hospitals on Sunday. Four of the 13 injured, including a 16-year-old male, remain in critical condition. 

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The shooting occurred in a neighbourhood with high crime records

Chief of Patrol, Fred Waller told the media in a news conference that shots were first fired just after 12:30 am on Sunday. People were being shot randomly as they exited the party, he said. There were three different shooting scenes at the residential location in the city’s Englewood neighbourhood, southwest of downtown that has a record of high crime. Waller further said that the shooting started inside, then more shots were fired as people began spilling out of the house. Shots were also fired at a third place nearby, he added. The shooting as an “isolated incident”, Waller said.

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Responding to the incident, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot said, "It’s a terrible tragedy and frankly an incredible act of cowardice. People in that house know what happened and we’ve urged them to overcome their fears and come forward with information".

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Drop in crime in Chicago

The incident took place at a time when Chicago has seen a considerable drop in shootings over 3 years. About 475 people were killed in 2019, compared to 549 in 2018, which is a 14% drop. In 2016, the number of homicides was 750, according to Chicago police data. The use of technology used to predict where shootings might occur, anti-violence programs that offer jobs and gang conflict mediation have been credited by the Police as the reason behind the drop. Even then Chicago still has more violent crime than New York and Los Angeles. They both combinedly have 1,800 shooting victims, while Chicago has had about 2,500 this year. 

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(With inputs from Associated Press)