|
CHICAGO, June 4 (Xinhua) -- Chicago' s homicide victims reached 66 in May this year. This is marks the deadliest May in the city since 1995, when 75 were slain.
Data released by the Chicago Police Department on June 2 showed that the total number slain in the city in the first five months of this year came to 243, the deadliest since 1999, when data put the death at 248.
Shootings also increased by more than 50 percent so far this year. Nearly 400 people were shot in May, bringing the number shot in the first five months to 1,500.
A Memorial Day weekend, when six were killed and 63 wounded, and a Mother' s Day weekend, when more than 50 people were shot with eight fatally, have added fuel to the deadly May, Chicago Tribune reported.
Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson cited gang conflicts and the proliferation of guns for increased violence.
Social media also contributed to the violence, he said, where some young people "taunt each other, brag about their crimes and dare others to confront them" .
