In wake of the historic shootout that took place in a Southside neighborhood of Chicago earlier this week, the city's police department is scrambling to bring resolution to a gang conflict that has seen at least 21 people shot since Monday.
The most recent wave of violence stems back to a heated exchange of gunfire between two rival gangs during broad daylight on Tuesday. The entire ordeal was highlighted by murder and severe injuries to four other individuals. According to reports, when two police officers arrived at the chaotic scene to provide a bit of damage control, they were greeted by a hostile crowd, assaulted, and injured shortly thereafter. The large crowd made things so difficult for the police officers on hand that they were unable to make any arrests on the scene, despite spotting the suspected shooters as they were getting away.
“Officers immediately attempted to perform life-saving measures on those that were shot, and they were met by a hostile crowd,” said police Commander Don Jerome of the Ninth District. “Members from the community and gang members from this crowd were actively fighting the police while they were trying to attend to the victims.”
Despite the fact that no arrests were made after the shootings, police did manage to obtain footage from an unidentified onlooker who was on the scene. Although the video helped the authorities locate the suspects' getaway vehicle, they are still at large. Law enforcement believes that the uptick in gun violence in this Southside neighborhood can be attributed to a form of one-upmanship between two rival gangs that are simply retaliating against one another, over and over again. As of last week, the city of Chicago registered 779 reported shootings. That number will have gone up significantly by the end of this week.
For more news on the Chicago Police Department's war on gang violence, keep it locked.
Source: MSN
