CHICAGO – Sixteen people were shot in Chicago on the last day of August, making it the most violent month in the city in 23 years, according to police statistics. Four of those shot Wednesday died.
At least 472 people were shot during the month and at least 90 homicides were recorded, according to the police department. That makes it the deadliest month since 1993, when 99 homicides were reported in July.
Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson again blamed the proliferation of guns and lenient sentencing laws for people charged more than once for possessing or using a firearm.
"We're doing our part," Johnson said in an interview. "We're closing in on 6,000 recovered guns this year. … That's more than New York and L.A. combined.
"We're arresting these guys," he added. "Where we are having problems is holding repeat gun offenders accountable for repeatedly committing these gun crimes. And until we fix that, we're going to continue to see this cycle of violence that we see every day."
The department said gun seizures have increased nearly 22 percent compared to last year and gun arrests are up nearly 5 percent.
