Chicago experienced a spate of gun violence over the long Fourth of July holiday weekend during which 102 people were shot, including at least a dozen fatally, according to police reports.
From July 3 at 6 p.m. through July 7 at 6 a.m., at least 100 people were struck by gunfire and 17 of them died from their wounds, according to the Chicago Police Major Incident Notifications system. Another two people were shot later on July 7, according to police.
The tally of Independence Day weekend gun violence in Chicago this year marks around a 27% increase in shootings over last year: In 2023, the Chicago Sun-Times reported at least 73 people were shot during the four-day weekend, including 11 who died.
In the United States, law enforcement statistics and independent researchers have continually pointed to summer months as a time of increased gun violence, with July 1-7 being an especially violent period each year for both mass shootings and individual incidents.
July 4 itself accounted for more US mass shootings than any other single calendar day over roughly a decade, a 2023 CNN analysis of the Gun Violence Archive’s mass shooting data since 2014 found. The day with the second most shootings was the day after – July 5.
Heat, experts say, can elevate discomfort and aggression – a potential catalyst for violence at a time kids are out of school and warmer weather drives more people outdoors in a country with more guns than people.