Gun Controlled-Chicago sees most violent weekend this year: 37 hurt and 7 killed by gunfire

In January, just days after Chicago closed the books on its deadliest year in a quarter-century, Mayor Lori Lightfoot declared 2022 a “make-or-break year” for tamping down surging violent crime. This weekend, however, proved to be the year’s first major stumbling block.

Seven people were killed, a man was critically wounded in a police-involved shooting and 36 others were shot across Chicago this weekend, marking the city’s most devastating toll so far this year as temperatures rose ahead of the typically violent summer months.

Just last week, Chicago Police Supt. David Brown touted encouraging drops in homicides and shootings as the department pushes to tamp down the surging violent crime that has become a serious political liability for Mayor Lori Lightfoot.

During a news conference last week, Supt. Brown detailed a new deployment strategy that focuses on 55 police beats that he said account for half the city’s violence. The new emphasis on “beat integrity” and community-based policing marked a major departure for Brown, who initially built up citywide teams when he was tapped by Lightfoot as top cop.