Apr 21, 2008 11:15 am US/Central
37 Shot, 2 Stabbed, 7 Dead In Chicago Over Weekend
CHICAGO (CBS) ―
Five people were shot overnight in Chicago Sunday, capping off a violent weekend that left 37 people shot, two stabbed and seven dead,
CBS station WBBM-TV reported.Chicago police say that warmer weather means more opportunities for violent crime. They are stepping up patrols and focusing their efforts on targeting gang leaders.
Chicago Police Supt. Jody Weis says more officers have been deployed to the city's violent areas, but he says a lot of the violence involves young people, after curfew, and parents need to help stop them.
"You just have too many guns, gangs, too many weapons out here. That's why we have to work hard to take them off. Chicago has probably enjoyed the greatest success in taking weapons off the street," Weis said.
Police admit that three dozen shootings in one weekend is a lot, but through the end of March in Chicago, violent crime was down. On Friday, 15 people were shot -- four fatally.
About 7 p.m., a man was fatally shot in the abdomen pronounced dead at an area hospital. Police were able to arrest a suspect and charge the 39-year-old man with one count of first-degree murder for allegedly firing shots at responding officers. Police recovered an AK-47 assault rifle from the scene, police said.
A 17-year-old was charged Sunday afternoon with attempted murder and home invasion in an attack.
(© MMVIII, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
