28 Chicagoans shot in 18 hours over Easter weekend

Easter weekend is a time of peace for most of us – quiet reflection on the meaning of faith and a time to spend with family.

Unless you happen to live in Chicago.

In an 18-hour period from Saturday night into Easter Sunday, 28 Chicagoans fell victim to gun violence.  Authorities say there was only one fatality.  But most of the shootings were targeted at people just milling around, not bothering anyone, when, out of the blue, they found themselves victims of Chicago's out-of-control violence.

Chicago Tribune:

Several of the attacks also injured multiple victims as gunmen opened fire on groups of people. Two shootings that occurred in the Chatham and Back of the Yards neighborhoods each injured three people. 

Anderson, whose address was not known, was killed in the Douglas Park neighborhood was shot in the head and back and taken to Mount Sinai Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 2:57 p.m., according to police and the Cook County medical examiner's office.

In the same shooting, a 19-year-old man was shot in the hand and also taken to Mount Sinai, where his condition was stabilized. 

The truck driver, who grew up on the same block, said he didn’t know the victims and thought they lived in a different neighborhood. He said he heard rapid-fire shots before police came. Another man who was a DJ at a party on the block said he heard as many as 20 gunshots. 

Police had made arrests in incidents in East Ukrainian Village and Lakeview, but none of the others. 

In the East Ukrainian Village shooting around 6 a.m., a 32-year-old man was walking in the 1100 block of North Ashland Avenue when someone in a passing car fired shots before fleeing, police said. The man walked into a nearby fire station and was transported to Stroger Hospital in good condition. 

Officers nearby saw the shooting and pulled over the driver three blocks away for an arrest in connection with the incident, police said. Officers found a weapon and spent shell casings inside the man's silver SUV. 

The Tribune published the complete list of incidents of wounded residents, including:

  • A 27-year-old man was driving east in the 9700 block of South Genoa Avenue in Longwood Manor when someone in a black SUV fired shots, striking him.  The man drove himself to Little Company of Mary Hospital and was transferred to Advocate Christ Medical Center in serious condition with gunshot wounds to the chest, back, and left arm.
  • A 17-year-old girl was shot in the right leg in the 6900 block of South Artesian Avenue in the Lithuanian Plaza neighborhood about 11:40 p.m.  She was taken to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, where her condition was stabilized.  The girl was walking in an alley with a small group of people when someone inside a dark-colored vehicle fired several shots before fleeing. 
  • Earlier, three people were shot about 11 p.m. in the 600 block of East 79th Street in the Chatham neighborhood.  A 46-year-old man and a 26-year-old man were shot multiple times, and they were taken in serious condition to Advocate Christ Medical Center and Northwestern Memorial Hospital, respectively.  A third man, 25, was shot multiple times and taken to Stroger Hospital in stable condition.  The men were standing on the sidewalk when a man came up and opened fire. 
  • Just 15 minutes earlier, three people were shot in the 5100 block of South Wood Street in the Back of the Yards neighborhood about 9:20 p.m.  A 20-year-old man was shot in the left ankle, and a 23-year-old man was shot in the right hand.  Both of them were taken to Holy Cross Hospital in good condition.  The third man, 29, was shot in the abdomen and taken to St. Bernard Hospital in serious condition.  The men told police they were standing outside when they heard shots and felt pain.

Urban terrorism is the only way to describe it.  People don't expect to be shot just standing around doing nothing.  In a matter of seconds, many of the victims' lives are changed forever – a result of living in a city that has failed to fulfill the number-one function of government: protect its citizens.

It's safe to say that not all the victims were gang members or involved in gang activity.  Their "crime" was living in a gang-infested neighborhood, where sitting in your living room can result in a stray ricochet killing or wounding anyone in the house.

Americans shouldn't have to live as though they're in the middle of a war zone.  But that's what living in Chicago has become.

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