More Than 50 Injured, 9 Killed In Violence-Marred Chicago Weekend

More than 50 were shot, resulting in the death of nine people over the weekend in Chicago. Among those killed in separate incidents were four children, including a 3-year-old named Mekay James. A bullet fatally struck his back around 6:30 p.m. Saturday (June 20) in Austin, a community located on the West Side of the City, local news outlets report.

A Different Target

In the case of James, police authorities reveal the target may have been his 27-year-old father, who was driving their black SUV at the time. Witnesses told The Chicago Sun-Times that a blue Honda car pulled up behind the older James’ vehicle and fired several rounds. Police authorities say the abdomen of the toddler’s father was grazed by a bullet. Chicago’s Mayor, Lori Lightfoot, called the shooting incident “an unconscionable act of cowardice and a heinous crime.” She also said that the toddler “had his whole life ahead of him.”

Around two hours later, a 13-year-old girl died, and two teenage boys suffered injuries in yet another hail of gunfire, still in Austin. According to reports, a fatal gunshot wound in the neck cut the life short of Amaria J. Jones as she sat inside their home.

The 15-year-old and 16-year-old boys, on the other hand, were sitting on a porch when one of them noticed a red laser pointer dot on his shirt and heard the sound of gunfire momentarily. While both may have avoided a fatal shot, they still sustained injuries with the younger boy getting hit in the back and the older boy with a gunshot wound in the leg. They were taken to a nearby hospital and pronounced out of danger.

Violence In Other Parts

In South Chicago hours earlier, a man shot and killed a 17-year-old teenager named Jasean Francis and his companion, a 16-year-old boy whose name was yet to be released by authorities as of posting time. Authorities told a local news outlet that both teens were walking in an alley approximately 5:10 p.m. when they were shot.

A little past six Saturday, a 23-year-old male was also fatally struck in the neck while figuring in a fight in Logan Square on Chicago’s Northwest Side. Two men were also killed in separate shooting incidents on Friday night, only around an hour apart on the West Side. A drive-by shooting in Austin at approximately 9:52 p.m. cut the life short of 33-year-old Johnny Teajue. A shooting incident in Garfield Park also resulted in the death of 33-year-old Almos Collum. Reports say someone fired into his car from another vehicle at approximately 10:49 p.m.

Police officers also responded to reports of a shooting incident around 7:46 p.m. Saturday, still in Austin. Cops found two injured males lying on the sidewalk. One of them, a 27-year-old victim, died of gunshot wounds to his torso, while the other who is said to be 32 years old, was hit in his left foot. Police authorities have yet to release the names of the victims to the public, according to Sun-Times Media. The latest shooting incident, which snuffed out the life of 41-year-old Alexis Perez, happened early Sunday in Humboldt Park, located on Chicago’s West Side.