Chicago experienced a surge in shootings, resulting in seven deaths and 38 injuries since Friday evening, according to police reports. This spike in violence urged President Donald Trump to push again for military intervention in Chicago, the nation’s third-largest city.
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!
These remarks came from Trump on Truth Social. Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, a potential Democratic contender for the 2028 presidential election, has consistently opposed Trump’s military intervention proposals. Pritzker’s office did not comment immediately.
Under Trump’s administration, the National Guard was deployed for crime-fighting missions in cities led by Democrats such as New Orleans, Washington, D.C., and Memphis, Tennessee. Despite a slight increase in shooting incidents compared to last year’s first half, Chicago Police Department data shows violent crime rates have generally declined in the city over the past few years, in line with national trends.
Preliminary police data reveal about two dozen shooting incidents occurred since Friday at 5 p.m. Victims included a 21-year-old shot in the chest on Sunday, an 18-year-old shot Saturday evening, and a 50-year-old shot on Friday.
A large-scale shooting Friday evening involved gunmen in an SUV opening fire on a crowd, injuring twelve people—eight men and four women aged 17 to 47. Patients received care at four hospitals, while another individual refused medical treatment despite unknown injuries. This shooting incident transpired on Juneteenth, which commemorates the end of slavery in the U.S.
Earlier that Friday, former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama welcomed visitors to his presidential center on Chicago’s South Side. Mayor Brandon Johnson expressed regret over the violent events impacting the holiday via an X platform post:
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 pledged accountability for those responsible for the violence.
Gun-related violence affected other major U.S. cities the same weekend. In Philadelphia, two people died while two others sustained injuries from a shooting on Sunday morning, reported by Fox-29. Cincinnati experienced a shooting that killed three individuals Saturday evening, according to WLWT. Meanwhile, police in Kansas City, Missouri, investigated a Friday evening shooting leaving one dead and five injured.
Associated Press writer Jack Brook provided contributions from New Orleans.
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