The number of shooting victims climbed to 4,115 this year — 1,412 more than in 2019, according to the Chicago Tribune.
“Frustration, anger, unfortunately some of that is playing out in violence,” Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot theorized. “A lot of things that are manifestations of trauma and mental health challenges have been in full bloom.”
Police superintendent David Brown said officers faced “unprecedented” circumstances in dealing with the spike in violent crime along with the pandemic, civil unrest and looting.
Although shooting and murders rose this year, some other offenses were down from previous years, including theft and sexual assault.