How did Labor Day weekend in the USA turn deadly?

Sixty-six individuals were shot over the Labor Day weekend in Chicago. Out of these victims, eight were under the age of seventeen. The youngest victim of the violence over the Labor Day weekend was four-year-old Mychal Moultry Jr. who was shot & killed on Friday night.

2021 has already marked a significant number of shootings in the USA. Over the previous fourth of July weekend, over 260 people were shot and killed throughout the country. According to recent data from the Gun Violence Archive, fatal high-victim shootings in the USA have risen 55% compared to last year. 

Read how Chicago civilians continue to suffer from gun violence and how it affected children over the Labor Day weekend.

Chicago Labor Day weekend turned deadly

Four-year-old Mychal Moultry Jr. was visiting from Alabama when he was struck twice in the head at about 9 pm. The bullets had crashed through the window of the South Ellis Avenue home, Chicago police reported.

The child’s father held him until paramedics arrived and he was taken to the hospital. Tragically, Mychal died on Sunday. He was the second 4-year-old shot in Chicago in a week, and the second 4-year-old killed in the city in 2021.

Other children injured amidst Chicago gun violence

The other young victims of shootings in Chicago over the weekend were ages fourteen to seventeen. On Saturday, two girls ages twelve & fifteen were wounded while at a back-to-school event in East Garfield Park. Unfortunately, police have not been able to identify the shooter.

That same day, a fifteen-year-old boy was shot in a drive-by shooting in Englewood. Another thirteen-year-old boy was seriously wounded in South Chicago after a bullet crashed through the window. The teen boy was playing with friends at home when he was shot.

On Sunday morning, a fourteen-year-old boy was shot while walking with his father. Sadly, children continue to get caught in the gunfire in Chicago as the city sees more & more shootings.

Chicago authorities ask communities to reveal shooters

On Monday, Chicago Police Superintendent David Brown implored the city to help investigators after Mychal and seven other children were shot over the Labor Day weekend. “We need people in the community to come forward. This is beyond trusting police. This is about the safety of our babies,” Brown announced.

Mayor Lori Lightfoot said the weekend violence was caused by shooters with “absolutely no regard for the sanctity of human life.” Similar to Brown, Mayor Lightfoot asked those living in violence-stricken communities to cooperate with the authorities to “stem the tide on this violence.”

“The people in the neighborhoods who are doing the shooting, they are known to people in the neighborhoods,” Lightfoot said in a news conference. “I understand the fear that’s out there but I’m just calling upon people in these neighborhoods — particularly when we think about the number of children who have been shot — you’ve got to have your faith overcome your fear. You’ve got to step up.”

Shootings on the rise in the USA

According to the Gun Violence Archive, there have already been 30,505 people killed due to gun violence this year. Out of these victims, 837 were teens aged twelve to seventeen and 220 were children under the age of eleven. 

The same data also displays a large amount of non-fatal injuries caused by shootings. The information reveals that 537 children under the age of eleven were shot this year. Meanwhile, 2,309 teens ages twelve to seventeen were injured due to a shooting in 2021 alone. 

If the same rate of shootings occurs as they are now, these numbers will surpass those of 2020 long before this year is over. 

—

What do you think about the rise of gun violence in the USA? What are your thoughts on gun regulation? Let us know in the comments below.