CHICAGO (WLS) — Chicago leaders on Thursday addressed concerns about safety during the upcoming holiday weekend.
A mass shooting in River North on Wednesday night and another incident wounding four individuals on the city’s South Side early Thursday serve as stark reminders that violence can occur anywhere in the city.
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The police superintendent offered assurances Thursday that the strategic plan is one that is city-wide.
“Certainly frustrated and angered by this senseless and cowardice act of violence,” Mayor Brandon Johnson said.
Johnson says he will not stand for the kind of violence that happened in River North.
Police describe the deadly mass shooting as a targeted attack, involving multiple weapons, which resulted in the deaths of four people and injuries to another 14 outside a private event.
“We want to ensure justice for these families, and we also aim to remove individuals who are this violent and careless from the streets,” stated CPD Superintendent Larry Snelling.
The Fourth of July weekend often brings large crowds downtown and to popular places like the lakefront beaches, which police say will get extra attention this weekend as part of the overall safety plan.
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“So what I can assure you is that Chicago Police Department will be out in full force, making sure that we’re keeping the city safe and protecting lives from one end of this city to the other,” Snelling said.
Community groups focused on preventing violence will also be spread out in key areas of the city, as they often do on summer weekends.
“So for us, as the Crisis Response Unit, you know, we’ll be paying attention and monitoring our hotspots,” crisis responder Rodney Phillips said. “We understand the task and what we’re up against. All we can do is do our best.”
Like police, they will focus on places like parks or the lakefront, where large crowds will gather this weekend. And the city is asking them to step up their efforts.
“We are expanding and extending the hours of CVI (Community Violence Intervention), so that these community violence interrupters can be in places strategically and longer to provide more support within these communities,” Johnson said.
Police are on alert for possible retaliation from Wednesday night’s shooting.
“Anything that we uncover, and there’s a possibility of retaliation, we would have an idea of where that retaliation can occur. And we would put resources in place to prevent that,” Snelling said.
Police are asking that anyone with information about the River North shooting please come forward, or even send in anonymous tips.
They are looking into the possibility that shooting itself may have been in retaliation for a previous incident.
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