By Zoe Strozewski
Staff Writer
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At least 12 of the 100 people shot in Chicago over the long July Fourth weekend were children, according to the city's police department. None of the children had died from their injuries by Tuesday morning, but at least three were in critical condition, the Associated Press reported.
Of the 100 people shot, 18 were killed, the police department said. The total surpassed the number of shootings throughout last year's July Fourth weekend, which saw 70 wounded and 17 killed, including a 7-year-old girl and 14-year-old boy.
Police Superintendent David Brown attributed the influx of shootings to the court system, which discharges people charged with violent crimes from custody on electronic monitoring.
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"The courts releasing people charged with murder back into the communities...is creating an unsafe environment for all of us," Brown said during a news conference.
For more reporting from the Associated Press, see below.
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Brown has been under pressure for the violent crime that rose dramatically in 2020 compared to the year before and shows little sign of slowing down thus far this year. Even before the holiday weekend, the department said in the first six months of the year there were 332 homicides compared to 338 for the same period last year and that there were more shooting victims and shooting incidents than during the same six-month period last year.
He picked up Tuesday where he left off last week when he was called before the City Council to explain his crime-fighting strategies ahead of what is traditionally one of the most violent weekends of the year.
As he did in his City Council appearance, Brown defended his department, including in his briefing to reporters that his officers had recovered 244 illegal guns over the long weekend.
"Strategy-wise, we did our part," he said.
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