Shootings In Chicago Continue To Rise, Once Case Leaves Toddler Killed In Crossfire

Chicago is known to have some of the worse gun violence in the United States, with many crimes leading to fatalities of innocent bystanders. Saturday night, several fatal shootings broke out leaving two dead in total, an 18-year-old man, and a two-year-old boy and 3 others wounded. This is what a typical Chicago weekend entails, a city that has one of the highest murder rates in the country.

The shooting of the two-year-old happened as the toddler, identified as Julien Gonzales was accompanied by an 18-year-old man. They were standing near an ally on North Kilbourn Avenue as shots came in from the end of the Street. The Gonzales, was struck in the neck and was pronounced dead at 11:39 P.M. at Stroger Hospital, while the 18-year-old man was taken to Illinois Masonic Medical Center where his condition for a left leg gunshot wound has been stabilized.

Another shooting led to an 18-year-old high school senior of Butler College Prep, dead on Saturday evening. At approximately 8 P.M., shots were fired at a vigil James Garret, along with others, attended for a 25-year-old woman, whom Garret knew from the neighborhood. The vigil honored the 25-year-old, who was killed in an auto crash on Friday. Now, Garret also received a vigil in his memory from his peers at Butler College Prep. The shooting happened as an argument at the vigil resulted in a man and woman drawing firearms and firing into the crowd.

Garret was running towards safety and was shot in the back. He was promptly transported to Advocate Christ Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead within the hour.

Two others were wounded during the vigil, a 20-year-old woman and a 48-year-old man. The 20-year-old was taken to University of Chicago Medical Center for a gunshot wound to the right arm, while the 48-year-old was also transported to Advocate Christ Medical Center for a gunshot wound to the arm. At this time, neither are in critical condition and are expected to survive.