Chicago erupted in paroxysms of violence over the Fourth of July weekend when 72 people were shot over the course of four days, according to Raw Story. At least 64 of the shootings reportedly took place by Saturday, and many appear to have been the result of gang violence.
Suggested Reading
Of that 72, NBC Chicago reported that 12 men were killed. A 5-year-old boy and a 7-year-old boy were also seriously injured in separate events, as was a 72-year-old woman who was reportedly shot in the ankle.
Many of the shootings appear to have been the result of gang violence and NBC Chicago noted that at least three individuals who took bullets over the weekend are refusing to cooperate with police.
The Chicago Sun-Times observed over the weekend that 64 of the shootings had already taken place by Saturday.
The weekend lived up to Chicago’s unfortunate reputation for gang violence, which has lent itself to the city being nicknamed “Chiraq” by some. The contrast of Chicago and Iraq, while not initially apparent, becomes clearer when comparing the casualty statistics: 4,265 were murdered in Chicago from 2003-2011, according to HBO’s Vice, whereas 4,422 American soldiers died of violence in Iraq over that same period.
Read more at Raw Story.
Straight From 
Sign up for our free daily newsletter.