It was a bloody Father’s Day weekend in Chicago and one of the worst weekends for gun violence so far this year.
Between 6 p.m. on Friday and 6 a.m. on Monday, more than 90 people were shot. 104 people in total were shot, 14 fatally and 12 being minors, the Chicago Sun-Times is reporting.
The youngest victim over the weekend is 3-year-old Mekay James. James was riding in the car with his father on Saturday when someone fired shots at their vehicle. James was rushed to West Suburban Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.
Just hours after James died, 13-year-old Amaria Jones was killed by a bullet that tore through the wall of her apartment and struck her in the neck as she watched television. Jones was taken to Stroger Hospital, where she succumbed to her injuries.
Community leaders held a news conference on Sunday at the scene of James’ death to offer a reward for information leading to an arrest in the boy’s death.
“Read my lips one more time for some people who may have a tendency to get numb to this kind of madness: A 3-year-old was gunned down, a baby. It’s so sad,” Pastor Ira Acree of Greater St. John’s Baptist Church told the Sun-Times. “And we’re here today because we cannot adjust to the madness.”
Police are asking anyone with information about any of the shootings to come forward.
