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71 shot, 12 fatally in Chicago weekend violence

At least 71 people were shot, 12 of them fatally, from Friday afternoon to Monday morning in Chicago, according to authorities.

Ten of those shot were younger than 18, but no children were killed. The youngest victims wounded were 10 and 11 years old, both shot in a daylight drive-by attack Sunday in the Gresham neighborhood. The two boys were among three people shot in that attack, officials said. The oldest people killed were 60 and 67 years old, in separate shootings.

The previous weekend, at least 64 people were shot and 11 of them died, according to data compiled by the Tribune.

Chicago police Superintendent David Brown took questions Monday morning about the level of violence seen weekend after weekend and stressed that the solution won’t come until the myriad root causes of crime are addressed. He also said at the halfway point of this year, officers already have taken more than 5,200 guns off the streets.

“The police have one consequence: We put handcuffs on people and arrest them. I always mention the number of guns we collect. That’s important because 91% of our homicides are by gun,” Brown said. “So I always like to emphasize, Chicago PD is doing its job. It’s doing its part. And there’s many other things outside of the control of the police that needs to be at this podium answering your questions.”

The youngest victims over the weekend were wounded in an attack just after 4:30 p.m. Sunday in the 8200 block of South Ada Street. The 10-year-old boy, the 11-year-old boy and a 27-year-old man were in front of a home when a vehicle pulled up and someone inside fired shots, police said.

The 10-year-old was wounded in the ankle and calf, and the 11-year-old was struck in the arm, police said. They were taken to Comer Children’s Hospital in good condition, according to police.

Early Sunday, a man was killed and woman wounded in an attack on the Near North Side, just north of the Wabash Avenue Bridge.

Gregory Crawford, 35, of Maywood, was pronounced dead at Northwestern Memorial Hospital soon after he was shot in the 300 block of North Wabash Avenue about 2:30 a.m. Sunday, according to authorities. The 25-year-old woman who had been with him in a car suffered two gunshot wounds to the left arm and was also taken to Northwestern, where she initially was in good condition.

Witnesses said the shooting happened while as many as a thousand people were drinking and hanging out by the riverfront on Wacker Drive. There were four to six shots, then people started running, according to a witness who asked not to be named.

A manager of at least one neighboring business recently asked authorities for assistance dispersing people from the impromptu gatherings, most often taking place after dark on hot weekend nights, because intoxicated people were harassing employees going home after their shifts, said a law enforcement source who asked to remain anonymous. The manager said it appeared people, many with coolers of alcohol, were parking along Wacker Drive before setting up chairs near the riverfront, the source said.

A police spokeswoman, Maggie Huynh, said the Chicago Police Department recently learned from patrol officers that sizable groups were gathering near the river, but did not say whether business managers made a complaint.

About 11:50 p.m. Sunday, a group of people were on the street in the 11300 block of South Carpenter Street in the Morgan Park neighborhood when someone began firing shots toward them, police said.

A 26-year-old man was shot multiple times in the head and body, police said. He was taken to Advocate Christ Medical Center and died soon after. He later was identified as Devonte Merrill, of Country Club Hills, according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office. A 41-year-old man was shot in the back of the head and taken to Roseland Community Hospital, where he was later pronounced dead, police said. He hadn’t been identified Monday.

The shootings Sunday came after at least six people were killed and 25 people wounded in shootings from 7:30 p.m. Friday into early Saturday morning.

Five people were shot, one of them fatally, in just one attack about 3:15 a.m. Saturday in 1600 block of South Keeler Avenue in the Lawndale neighborhood.

A 25-year-old man was hit in the chest. He was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Four others suffered gunshot wounds and also were taken to Mount Sinai Hospital, where they were listed in good condition, police said.

The 67-year-old man killed was shot just before 12:30 a.m. Saturday in the 4900 block of West Hubbard Street in the Austin neighborhood, when a gunman in a vacant lot opened fire, striking him in the neck. He was taken to Stroger Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, police said.

During the news conference, Brown was asked if he expected the violence to persist or whether he’d hoped to have implemented some solution to the violence now that he’s more than two months into his job.

“One of the things I’ve repeatedly said about crime and public disorder is that it takes more than just the police,” he said.

“If police is the only people at the podium answering questions, likely nothing will change,” Brown said.

Chicago Tribune’s Claire Hao contributed.