ILLINOIS — New video shows distraught family members of Chicago gun violence victims gathering outside of a hospital.
As of the time of this posting, at least 59 people have been shot, 8 fatally in the windy city since Friday.
“We know that some of these incidents were targeted and are related to gang conflicts in those areas,” Chicago Police Chief of Patrol Fred Waller said at a news conference.
Due to capacity concerns, Stroger Hospital was placed on ‘trauma lockdown’ as family members gathered outside.
“Over the past 24 hours, Stroger’s trauma unit received an unusually high volume of patients. At no time did Stroger go on bypass or ‘lockdown’ its trauma unit,” a spokeswoman said. “We are asking the families of trauma patients to limit visitation at this time to immediate family members only so staff may focus on patient care. ”
One paramedic on scene told local media the city is ‘like a war zone.’
UPDATE: A series of Chicago shootings Sunday has left at least four people dead and 42 others wounded in just 15 hours – Sun Times
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) August 5, 2018
Chicago was responsible for nearly half of 2016’s increase in homicides in the US, though the nation’s crime rates remain near historic lows.
