Chicago Police Supt. David Brown on Sunday demanded that violent offenders be kept in jail longer and that home monitoring be revamped, because “it’s not working.”
CHICAGO (CBS) — On a violent weekend in Chicago that saw at least 13 people killed – including four teenagers and a 3-year-old boy – Chicago Police Supt. David Brown on Sunday demanded that violent offenders be kept in jail longer and that home monitoring be revamped, because “it’s not working.”
The 13 homicides from Friday afternoon through Monday morning were the most of any weekend so far this year, as was the total of 103 people shot.
“Tears are a natural reaction to these tragic stories of violence. But we need to do more than just cry,” Brown said. “Let’s keep violent offenders in jail longer, and let’s revamp the home monitoring system. It’s not working.”
Of the at least 103 people shot this weekend, 12 of them were minors. Five of those children or teens did not survive.
In the first deadly incident involving young people this weekend, two teenage boys were killed in a shooting around 5:10 p.m. in the 7900 block of South Luella Avenue in the South Chicago community.
The boys, ages 16 and 17, were in an alley when a man walked up took out a gun, and shot both of them, police said.
The older boy was shot in the back, chest, and left hand, while the younger boy was shot in the back and left flank, police said. Both were taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center where they were pronounced dead, police said.
The older boy was identified as Jasean Francis. The younger boy has not been identified.
“These individuals were with their friend. They’d just gone to a mall. They know the neighborhood. They don’t ever go out to the neighborhood because it’s so dangerous,” Chicago Police Chief of Detectives Brendan Deenihan said.
But on that one occasion, the boys asked just that once if they could go down to the store and buy some candy, and when they were almost back at the gateway of their home, a gunman ran up and shot and killed them for no reason, Deenihan said.
Police have identified a suspect in the South Chicago shooting. They say he was wearing a black Puma hooded sweatshirt and ripped faded jeans, and was wearing one shoe on the left foot and a black sock on his injured right foot.
Anyone with information about that incident is asked to call Area South Detectives at (312) 747-8271.
Meanwhile, Mekhi James, 3, was shot in the back at 6:30 p.m. in the 600 block of North Central Avenue at Huron Street and later died, police said. The boy’s stepfather, 27, was driving south when someone in a blue Honda fired shots at his sport-utility vehicle.
The 27-year-old, who police believed to be the target of the shooting, suffered a graze wound to the abdomen and drove to West Suburban Medical Center in Oak Park. The child, identified as Mekhi James, was shot in the back and later pronounced dead at the same hospital.
Deenihan said police are seeking information in that case from the stepfather.
A matter of blocks away at 8:36 p.m., Amaria Jones was struck by gunfire while inside her house in the 1000 block of North Leclaire Avenue and later died, police said.
Two teenage boys were sitting on a porch when another man saw a red laser light pointed at him and heard multiple gunshots, police said.
The boys, ages 15 and 16 who were outside, and Amaria was inside the home when all were shot, police said.
The 16-year-old boy was shot in the left leg and was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital in good condition, police said. The 15-year-old boy was shot in the lower back and was taken to the same hospital in good condition, police said.
Amaria was shot in the right side of the neck and was taken to Stroger Hospital of Cook County in critical condition, police said.
“The girl was watching television when shots rang out, striking her in the back,” Supt. Brown said. “She died 30 minutes later.”
He continued, “I put myself in that house, holding that little girl as she struggles to breathe. I put myself in that hospital.”
Deenihan said there is a gang battle going on in the area, and “You had a coward basically come through the gangway and shoot a bunch of people on the porch.”
Brown said an underlying issue is that violent criminals are free on home monitoring when nobody is monitoring them.
“No one should be able to walk away from killing a 3-year-old and a 13-year-old without consequences,” Brown said. “Let’s keep violent offenders in jail longer.”
He also implored everyone to call 911 if they see a suspicious person, and to visit CPDTip.com with any information.
“For God’s sake, help Chicago cops protect our precious children and our families,” Brown said. “It’s not working. Home monitoring is not working. No one is monitoring who’s on home monitoring.
