Chicago Police Have Seized Over 5900 Guns in 2021, Over 330 People Killed in Shootings

The Chicago police reported on Thursday that they have seized over 5,900 guns, including 290 assault weapons, as 332 people were killed in shootings between Jan. 1 and Wednesday, the Associated Press reported.

Chicago Police Superintendent David Brown said in a statement, "Each illegal gun taken off our streets is potentially a life saved. We asked so much from our officers over the past six months, who continue to answer the call each day and night in service to our city."

Compared to 2020, six fewer people were killed in the first half of this year. In 2020, there were 769 slayings total. This year, there have been 1,515 shootings and 1,880 people shot in the city. Comparatively, shooting incidents and victims totaled 1,377 and 1,656, respectively, during the first six months of 2020. The number of killings in both years was far higher than the 246 deaths recorded in the first half of 2019.

For more reporting from the Associated Press, see below.

Chicago has seen a number of mass shootings and mass killings in recent weeks. Coupled with others around the country in June, shootings stoked concerns about a spike in U.S. gun violence heading into the summer, as coronavirus restrictions ease and more people are free to socialize.

The latest numbers from police come as an 8-year-old girl and a 30-year-old woman were wounded and a 40-year-old woman was slain when shots were fired early Thursday at a home on the city's far South Side.

Separately, two 15-year-olds and two 18-year-olds also were wounded Wednesday night during a drive-by shooting in southwest Chicago.