8 Dead, Dozens Injured in Juneteenth Shootings Across Chicago
Eight people were killed and 38 others wounded in shootings across Chicago during the extended Juneteenth holiday weekend, according to CBS Chicago, a bloody stretch that once again raised questions about leadership in one of America’s most dangerous big cities.
Chicago police said the victims ranged in age from 14 to 70. Among the dead was a 14-year-old boy found unresponsive Thursday night in the 8000 block of South Carpenter Street with multiple gunshot wounds. He was taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead, CBS Chicago reported.
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Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said he was astounded that the city’s Democrat leadership has not asked for any federal intervention.
“It is shocking — it is shocking — that leadership wants nothing to do with any help from the federal government,” he told Fox News.
The most shocking violence unfolded Friday night during what should have been a Juneteenth celebration on the city’s South Side. Police said two people inside a red SUV opened fire into a crowd near West 95th Street and South Princeton Avenue, wounding at least a dozen people. The victims ranged from teenagers to adults.
Associated Press reported that Mayor Brandon Johnson condemned that attack on X, writing, “What should have been a night of celebration and community reflection for Juneteenth was shattered by a horrific act of violence.”
“My thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their loved ones,” Johnson wrote. “Violence has no place in our city, and those responsible will be held accountable.”
But as Chicago families were grieving and emergency rooms were treating gunshot victims, the mayor’s official social media feed was also promoting transgender-rights messaging.
“For too many transgender Chicagoans, the sense of belonging they deserve in their city has been denied by exclusion and barriers to opportunity,” Johnson’s official X account posted, according to the mayor’s feed.
The post came during a month in which Johnson’s administration has been touting LGBTQ initiatives. WTTW reported that Chicago recently marked six months since Johnson named Antonio King as the city’s first-ever director of LGBTQ+ affairs. Johnson said in a statement the position was “important now more than ever,” citing what he called attacks from the Trump administration.
President Trump, meanwhile, blasted Illinois leaders over the weekend bloodshed.
“Why isn’t Governor Pritzker calling me for help. I could make Chicago a safe City in ONE MONTH, in ONE YEAR, it would be one of the safest!!!” Trump wrote on Truth Social, according to AP.