At least seven people have been killed and dozens injured in several shootings in Chicago since Friday, police said, with Donald Trump once again calling for military intervention in the midwestern city.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump questioned why Illinois’s governor, JB Pritzker, had not welcomed military deployment.
“Why isn’t Governor Pritzker calling me for help. I could make Chicago a safe City in ONE MONTH, in ONE YEAR, it would be one of the safest!!!” Trump wrote in a Sunday post. “D.C. went from one of the worst, to one of the safest cities in the U.S.”
In addition to Washington DC, the Trump administration has deployed national guard troops in Democratic-led cities such as New Orleans and Memphis.
Counter to Trump’s post, a recent study from the nonpartisan thinktank the Niskanen Center found that the national guard’s presence has had minimal effect on violent crime in DC.
Pritzker has repeatedly rejected Trump’s proposal to federalize national guard members in the state, suing to block the Trump administration’s deployment last year.
A representative of Pritzker did not respond to the Guardian’s request for comment on Trump’s latest remarks.
While Chicago police data shows a slight increase in shooting incidents compared to the first half of last year, violent crime rates have generally dropped in the city over the past few years, in parallel with national trends.
Preliminary information shared by Chicago police indicate there have been at least two dozen shooting incidents since 5pm on Friday. At least 12 people in a crowd on a Chicago street suffered gunshot wounds on Friday evening after an SUV pulled up and two people inside started shooting, police said.
The eight men and four women in the group ranged in age from 17 to 47. They were being treated at four hospitals. Police said another man suffered unknown injuries and refused medical treatment.
Among those killed in this weekend’s shootings include a 33-year-old man, a 34-year-old man, and a 21-year old man, all in separate incidents. Officials have yet to publish the identities of most of the victims.
That shooting happened on Juneteenth, a holiday that celebrates the end of slavery in the US. Chicago mayor Brandon Johnson condemned the shootings in a post to X on Saturday.
“What should have been a night of celebration and community reflection for Juneteenth was shattered by a horrific act of violence,” said Johnson. “My thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their loved ones….Violence has no place in our city, and those responsible will be held accountable.”
Earlier on Friday, Barack Obama and Michelle Obama welcomed the first visitors to his presidential center on the South Side. The star-studded opening included performances from musicians John Legend, Jennifer Hudson, Bruce Springsteen, and more. Joe Biden and George W Bush were also in attendance.
Trump was not invited to the center’s opening, Obama Foundation CEO Valerie Jarrett said, noting that the opening was to host supporters of Obama and celebrate the work it took to bring the center into fruition.
“We have said that if President Trump would like to come and take a tour, we’d love to show him this campus and show him all the magnificent things that we have to offer, both to the people who live here and the people who visit from around the world,” said Jarrett to NBC News.
The Associated Press contributed reporting