Donald Trump ‘ready to intervene’ as bloody weekend sees 63 shot in Chicago and 140% spike in gun crime in New York
DONALD Trump tweeted that he is “ready to intervene” as a bloody July 4th weekend saw at least 63 injured in Chicago and a 140% spike in gun crime in New York.
At least 41 people were injured and at least nine killed in a spate of shootings in the Big Apple across the holiday weekend.
Shootings have reportedly doubled every week for the last three weeks and in the last seven days, the city has experienced a 142% surge in shootings compared to the same period last year.
Former New York Police Department Commissioner Ray Kelly blamed Mayor Bill de Blasio for the surge in gun violence, accusing him of “surrendering the city with hefty cuts” to the police force.
In a radio interview, he blamed the mayor for slashing $1billion from the NYPD earlier in the week, reports the Daily Mail.
An anti-crime plainclothes unit that had focused on stopping people and searching them for guns, was recently disbanded.
“Here the mayor eliminated the anti-crime units, which were probably the most effective tool that existed in the department for decades to fight violent street crime,” Kelly said.
“So, that was a direct signal of surrender,” he added.
Trump also criticised de Blasio as well as Governor Andrew Cuomo, telling the pair that he is “ready to intervene” if required.
“Shootings up significantly in NYC where people are demanding [Andrew Cuomo] and [Mayor Bill de Blasio] act now,” the President tweeted.
“Federal government ready, willing and able to help, if asked.”
At least 63 people were injured in shootings and 14 were killed, including two children, in shootings in Chicago.
Memphis, Omaha, Cleveland were also rocked. In total 37 have been killed across the US.
Two officers were injured after a bullet struck the windshield of a marked NYPD vehicle early on Sunday morning, reports ABC New York
Authorities reported that a male officer was injured by shattered glass while a female officer was treated at hospital after having a ringing sensation in her ear.
It’s unclear if the officers were targeted in the attack.
Young father Jose Cepeda was shot in the chest just after midnight in Brooklyn, report the Daily News.
Cepeda, 20, and a friend allegedly had a “little disagreement” in front of the victim’s home that turned deadly, his neighbour Natasha Ramsay, 42, said.
He was rushed to hospital but couldn’t be saved.
A 19-year-old was also fatally shot in the chest and a man, 27, was shot in the left shoulder after a large dispute in Brooklyn, it’s reported.
Two male victims died at the scene.
One of the children killed in Chicago was identified as Natalie Wallace, seven.
The girl was reportedly playing outside her grandmother’s house in Austin during a Fourth of July party when a vehicle pulled up and three men emerged and began shooting at approximately 7pm.
Natalie was shot in the forehead and rushed to hospital where she was pronounced dead, police said.
She was described as “sweet, shy, loving and good at math” by her mourning parents, reports CBS Chicago.
“Kids outside playing, they shouldn’t have to worry about guns and people shooting,” Natalie’s father, Nathan Wallace said.
Mr Wallace said that he does not want to see police scaled back but wants more police in city neighbourhoods and “officers to do their jobs”.
He also wants to see more justice and wants to see people behind the shootings caught and held accountable.
“They’re getting a slap on the wrist,” he said.
“There’s too many people doing this.”
A 32-year-old man was also wounded in the shooting and police are looking into whether he was the target.
SHOOTINGS SURGE
Four people were killed, including a boy, 14, and four others were injured including a boy, 11, in an Englewood shooting on Saturday night, according to Chicago police.
At around 11.30pm, four men walked up to a large gathering that was taking place in a flat and fired shots, report the Chicago Tribune.
Three other shootings in Chicago on Saturday killed a 34-year-old woman, a 31-year-old man and a 20-year-old man, according to ABC7.
As of early Sunday, 67 people had been shot in Chicago.
Last year in Chicago over the July 4 weekend, six people were killed and 63 wounded by gun violence.
Saturday marked the city’s third consecutive weekend where a child under 10 had been fatally shot, report the Daily Mail.
The Chicago Police Department deployed 1,200 additional officers over the weekend with the intention of reducing violence.
“It’s not just on the police department. Not just on the fire department. Not just on elected officials,” Mayor Lori Lightfoot said.
“All of us have to embrace our notion of community and think about what we can do, each of us in our own way, to make our communities safe and healthy and vibrant.”
Other cities reported an increase in gunfire during the Independence Day celebrations.
A 15-year-old boy was shot when a vehicle pulled up and a passenger asked the victim a question then shot the teen, report Fox2.
At least seven shootings were reported in Memphis, Tennessee, leaving four people wounded and one dead, according to WREG.
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Two people were shot dead and eight were injured after a shooting at Lavish Lounge nightclub in Greenville County, South Carolina.
A sheriff officer’s deputy noticed a “disturbance” at a nightclub and called for emergency backup because of “active gunfire” inside the building, report Greenville News.
Sheriff Hobart Lewis said that the shootings were “probably gang related” and said he couldn’t recall any previous shootings in the county involving 10 victims.
