The Chicago killing fields continued unabated over the weekend, as seven more people were killed in the streets while 24 were wounded.
The murders bring to 46 the number of homicides that have occurred in Chicago just in the month of August—with 351 murders so far for the year.
In the midst of the killing, with the city and the entire nation looking in horror at the explosion of murders—particularly since the murder rate has fallen so precipitously in other cities—Chicago Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy on Saturday said the police department was not losing its war on violence.
“We’re not winning, we’re not losing. We’re basically treading water,” McCarthy said during a Saturday afternoon press conference, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.
While McCarthy admitted the gun violence has been “unacceptable” and that his department “had some trouble” in August remaining a step ahead of the revenge shootings that have been going back and forth.
The police department called the press conference to announce that it had arrested 15 people last week in two reportedly gang drug busts on the South Side. The department was pleased with the arrests because on previous occasions the violence has gone down in that portion of the city when police have made similar large drug busts.
Police also claim they have “good leads” on possible suspects in the drive-by shooting on Thursday that left eight people wounded.
The latest murder over the weekend was 28-year-old Rashad Pratt, who was found with multiple gunshot wounds in the city’s Calumet Heights neighborhood inside a car just before 3 a.m., according to NBC reports.
Pratt was pronounced dead on the scene.
