Chicago Shootings: 7-Year-Old Amari Brown Killed Amid 4th of July Weekend Violence

At least 10 people, including a 7-year-old boy, have died and more than 50 wounded in Chicago gun violence over the weekend.

Amari Brown was shot in the chest by a gunman who was targeting his father, a known gang member, according to police.

Police chief Garry McCarthy said the boy’s father should not have been on the streets, telling reporters: “If [he] is in custody, his son is alive.”

Despite the multiple shootings since July 2, the number of incidents was lower than in the same period in 2014.

Last year, 16 people were shot dead and more than 80 others were injured, according to the Chicago Tribune.

The worst period at the weekend came between 21:00 on July 4 and 05:00 on July 5, when 30 people were shot as residents celebrated Independence Day.

Among the other incidents, a 17-year-old was shot dead as he played basketball and a 19-year-old was injured as rival gangs fought near Navy Pier after the fireworks display there.

The shootings happened despite a 30% increase in the number of police officers on patrol in the city over the weekend, Garry McCarthy said.

He said police in the city recovered one illegal gun per hour across the city.

“We must stem the flow of guns into the city,” he said.

The police force is doing “everything we can to fight this” but the city needs to “repair a broken system”, Garry McCarthy said, adding: “Criminals don’t feel the repercussions of the justice system.”

Chicago has struggled to turn the tide of gun violence for several years and is one of the most deadly in the US.

It ended 2014 with 406 homicides across the city – although this was a 3% decrease from 2013, when there was 419 gun-related deaths.