CHICAGO (CBS) — It was a violent start to 2017 in Chicago, with the number of shootings nearly duplicating the tally from the start of last year, which ended up being the city’s bloodiest year in nearly two decades.
Chicago police said January ended with 51 murders, one more than January 2016. About half of the city’s murders last month happened in three districts on the South Side and West Side – the Austin, Englewood, and Harrison districts.
Last month also saw 234 shooting incidents and 299 shooting victims – compared to 242 shooting incidents and 291 victims during the same time period last year.
Despite the grim numbers in January, police have said a new plan is helping get guns off the streets. Police recovered more than 600 guns last month, an increase of more than 60 percent over January 2016. Police said gun arrests also were more than double the total from January 2016.
Police Supt. Eddie Johnson was scheduled to discuss the January crime statistics Wednesday morning at the Englewood District Police station.
The superintendent repeatedly has said police are doing their part to fight crime, and that it’s up to state lawmakers to do their part and pass legislation cracking down on repeat gun offenders.
The department said, since just three of the city’s 22 police districts account for about half of the city’s murders, more resources are being focused on those areas of Chicago.
from CBS Chicago http://ift.tt/2kgAs1m
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