Chicago, aka ‘Chi-raq’ likely to top 2015 in number of shootings

More than 400 people have been shot in Chicago in August, making it the most violent month in the city for almost 20 years.

Following Aldridge’s death, nine people were killed and 50 others shot in the Windy City over the weekend. Among the dead was Nykea Aldridge, a cousin of Chicago Bull Dwyane Wade.

In the last installation of a three-part series, Al Jazeera’s John Hendren reports from Chicago. There were 316 homicides from January 1 to June 30 of this year.

“An increasing numbers of major cities across the country are experiencing increases in violent crime – in particular gun-related crime”, and much of this crime is occurring within minority communities, said John Cohen, an ABC News contributor who is a former US counterterrorism official. This staggering data comes despite the fact that Chicago’s total population is roughly 20% the size of NY and Los Angeles.

Chicago has recorded 487 homicides and more than 2,800 people shot so far this year, compared to 491 homicides all of last year and 2,988 people shot, according to Tribune and CPD data. So far, New York City has had 222 homicides and 760 shooting victims, according to the city’s crime statistics through August 21, said the Tribune.

Alridge was pushing a baby stroller in Chicago’s South Side when she was struck by a bullet from a nearby shooting. They appeared in court Sunday and were ordered held without bail. Three more people were killed and at least 18 others were wounded in shootings from 10 a.m. Sunday until early Monday morning.

Johnson said Chicago must “take action when it comes to how we sentence our repeat gun offenders”.

Chicago police officials have cited the constant flow of illegal firearms through unsafe neighborhoods and an intractable gang problem – with some disputes beginning on social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter – as strong contributors to the city’s violence.

In Washington, D.C., homicides rose in 2015 for the first time in a decade, according to that city’s police chief, Cathy Lanier. Garry McCarthy had a long and distinguished career in public service before he was sacked by Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel from his position as Superintendent of Chicago Police.

Jason Wambsgans/Chicago Tribune/TNS via Getty Images The police expand the crime scene in the 3900 block of West Lexington Street where a 20-year-old female suffered a gunshot wound to the head, May 28, 2016, in Chicago.