RantCrush Top 5: December 27, 2016

Chicago police officers were incredibly busy over the weekend. Sixty-one people were shot in gang-related violence, including 11 fatally. More than a dozen people are still in critical condition. According to the police department, 90 percent of the people who died were gang affiliated and had criminal backgrounds. But some just tragically got caught in the crossfire. Two girls, ages 13 and 14, were shot in the back and arm respectively while sitting in a car with a two-year-old boy. The girl who was shot in the back remains in critical condition.

Christmas weekend shootings, Friday afternoon to early Tuesday. #chicago pic.twitter.com/mJw0KtalsD

— Megan Crepeau (@crepeau) December 27, 2016

Anthony Guglielmi from the Chicago Police Department said that most of the incidents were targeted attacks between rival gangs at holiday gatherings, which in turn led to retaliatory shootings. “This unacceptable level of gun violence demonstrates the clear and present need for policy makers to convene in January and give Chicago the gun sentencing tools against repeat offenders so that we can adequately hold people accountable,” he said.

Emma Von Zeipel

Emma Von Zeipel is a staff writer at Law Street Media. She is originally from one of the islands of Stockholm, Sweden. After working for Democratic Voice of Burma in Thailand, she ended up in New York City. She has a BA in journalism from Stockholm University and is passionate about human rights, good books, horses, and European chocolate. Contact Emma at EVonZeipel@LawStreetMedia.com.