Just days following President Donald Trump’s statement about potentially dispatching the National Guard to Chicago, authorities reported at least five fatalities and 35 injuries from gun violence over the Labor Day weekend.
Reports from ABC7 Chicago highlighted an incident Friday night where two women were discovered shot in a South Shore apartment. Among them, a 25-year-old woman suffered gunshot wounds to her abdomen and leg and subsequently passed away at the University of Chicago Medical Center.
On Saturday morning around 11 a.m., two men were targeted in a shooting as an SUV approached them, according to police. A 29-year-old man sustained multiple gunshot wounds and succumbed to his injuries at Mount Sinai Hospital.
Later that evening, five suspects approached a 43-year-old woman and fatally shot her around 7:45 p.m., police said.
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson addresses reporters as President Trump weighs sending troops to Chicago. (Getty Image/ Kamil Krazaczynski)
President Trump has intensified his dispute with Governor Pritzker, criticizing him for refusing federal assistance. In a Truth Social post on Saturday, Trump labeled Pritzker as “incompetent,” urging him to resolve the situation swiftly or face intervention.
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson also dismissed Trump’s threat, issuing an executive order on Friday to block any federal troop or National Guard deployment.
Mayor Johnson emphasized that Chicago does not require or desire “an unconstitutional and illegal military occupation,” and pledged to use all available resources to “defend our democracy and protect our communities.”
Trump’s warning to intervene follows his recent executive action in Washington, D.C., where he federalized the Metropolitan Police and mobilized the National Guard.
