“The Courier ” Boy, 7, killed during violent July 4 celebrations in Chicago

That his family is preparing to bury him, despite living in a “gun-free zone” where cheap, illegal handguns are traded unfettered, that eight others were killed and 46 others wounded in shootings across the city, is a national tragedy-for Chicago, for the rest of us.

Shootings past year, over an 84-hour period, left 82 people shot, 16 fatally.

Chicago Police Supt. Garry McCarthy outlines weekend violence in Chicago and highlights gun arrests and seizures over the weekend.

On Sunday morning, a 26-year-old man was shot in the chest and was pronounced dead later in a hospital.

McCarthy specifically cited the shooting death of 7-year-old Amari Brown, who was an unintended target in a shooting that occurred near midnight on Saturday, reported WGN News. He is said by police to have been outside with his son and several fellow gang members on the night of July 4.

The bloodshed on the Fourth of July weekend had begun with the killing of 17-year-old Vonzell Banks, who had been shot in a park named after 15-year-old Hadiya Pendleton.

McCarthy also blamed lax gun laws in the city, noting that officers seized about one illegal firearm per hour this weekend.

A 16-year-old boy was killed and fourteen other people were wounded in shootings Monday across Chicago.

Among the dead is a 7-year-old boy who was watching fireworks with his dad at Humboldt Park – west of downtown Chicago.

Antonio Brown, still wearing white jeans stained with his son’s blood, stood staring at the photographs.

The heat and the fact that it was a holiday weekend can partly explain this surge in violence in the windy city. As I’ve been saying for years, the actual problem was never too many guns.

Police attempted to control the violence by putting more officers on the street during the weekend. “I was shocked he knew the difference between gunshots and fireworks”, she said.

McCarthy said he is incredibly proud of the men and women of his department amid the challenges they face every day. A 24-year-old man was standing on the sidewalk in the 3000 block of North Cortland Street when a group of people drove by in a blue SUV and someone opened fire, police said. Obviously, something is radically wrong when a thug like Mr. Brown walks the streets with impunity, taking part in gang activity that may have resulted in the attempt on his life and cost of the life of his young son. [And] we’re tracking what happens with our gun arrests because I’ve realized that the sanction for losing a gun by a gang member is greater from the gang than it is the criminal justice system.