Over this past weekend alone, four people were killed and 24 injured in Chicago, prompting new calls for the resignation of its police chief, Fox 32 News reports.
According to the report, except for one fatal stabbing in the Uptown neighborhood, the other incidents took place on the South Side or West Side, which have been plagued with violence this year.
Alderman Roderick Sawyer, chairman of the Chicago City Council’s Black Caucus, told the news station that the group may call for the termination of Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy. Aldermen are planning to meet Wednesday afternoon to discuss matters.
“There is great discontent with Superintendent McCarthy,” the South Side alderman noted, referring to conversations he’s had with colleagues during the past two days.
So far this year, the news site notes, Chicago’s homicides number 194, about 20 more than had taken place by this time in 2013 and 2014. There have also been about 1,122 shootings so far, which is a huge spike.
Aldermen aren’t the only ones questioning McCarthy’s competency, the news site notes. An editorial in Crain’s Chicago Business declared, “The Chicago Police Department needs a leader with a grasp of the causes of crime and clear strategies to address them. After four years on the job, it's clear that Superintendent Garry McCarthy isn't that man.”
Read more at Fox 32 News and Crain’s Chicago Business.