Six people were killed in Chicago over the first weekend of 2021 as the city begins a new year amid skyrocketing murder rates and violence.
Marcell Wilson, a twelve-year-old boy from the Englewood neighborhood of Chicago, was shot and killed Sunday evening, ABC 7 Chicago reported, citing police statements. Wilson was sitting on his bed at home when an individual with whom he was acquainted fired a handgun and shot him in the chest.
Wilson died at Comer Children’s Hospital later that night, the outlet reported. It’s unclear if the shooting was accidental or intentional.
Tajhuan Dowd, a 20-year-old man, was shot in the neck and back during a drive-by shooting Sunday, the Chicago Sun Times reported, and was pronounced dead at Stroger Hospital.
At least two individuals were shot and killed on New Year’s Day, the Chicago Tribune reported. One of the victims, a 16-year-old girl who has yet to be identified, was found shot in the head and dead in an alley in Chicago’s Humboldt Park neighborhood, while another victim, a young man, was shot dead Saturday in an alley in Englewood.
In addition to those killed over the weekend, 25 individuals were wounded, according to the Chicago Sun Times.
There were 797 people murdered in Chicago in 2021, the city’s deadliest year since 1996, according to ABC 7 Chicago, citing police data. While rates of certain crimes such as burglary and robbery have decreased over the past few years in Chicago, murders in 2021 increased sharply, up 61% compared to 2019.
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot, who previously pushed for slashing the budget of the Chicago Police Department, called on federal agencies to assist the city with its crime problem last month.
Mayor Lightfoot’s office did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.
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