On Memorial Day weekend people are supposed to remember those who fought and died for the freedoms that we are currently taking for granted. But for gang members in Chicago, Memorial Day weekend seems to just be another opportunity to set a high score. This year's violence is just another entry, that very few people seem to actually care about, into the weekly shooting ledger.
At least 10 people were murdered and another 38 were wounded in Memorial Day weekend shootings across the Chicagoland area. Last year, seven people died while another 36 were wounded during Memorial Day weekend. And despite there being more people shot during Memorial Day weekends in 2016 and 2017, a higher number of people died of their wounds this year. That makes this year's Memorial Day weekend the deadliest Chicago has seen since 2015, when 12 people were killed and another 43 were wounded.
Last weekend, which obviously had one less day than this past weekend, saw six people killed and another 32 wounded in Chicago.
Here are the names of those killed this past weekend:
Dariontae Adams, 21
Alejandro Castro, 28
Darnell Fisher, 16
Keith Moore, 32
Antonio Gasaway, 35
Jamal Daveny, 27
Tobias McNeal, 41
It's been a little over a year now since Mayor Lori Lightfoot took over in Chicago, and the shootings in the city have only increased.
As for the running tally of 2020 weekend shootings in Chicago, at least 78 people have died and another 413 have been wounded in shootings. The Chicago Tribune, who keeps track of all shootings regardless of the day of the week, reported that - as of Monday, May 26 - 1,003 people have been shot in Chicago this year. The Tribune also reports that number is 128 more shooting victims than at the same point in 2019.
Before COVID was even a thought, people were being shot and killed all over Chicago. Once COVID is a memory, people will still get shot and killed all over Chicago. One other thing seems to remain constant - besides a large portion of Chicago Police Department (CPD) officers, very few people care.