News / Society

Chicago monthly homicides highest since 2000: Police

Monday, 01 February 2016 5:49 PM [ Last Update: Monday, 01 February 2016 5:52 PM ]

Demonstrators calling for an end to gun violence and the resignation of Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel march through downtown Chicago on December 31, 2015. (AFP photo)

The number of homicides in the US city of Chicago climbed dramatically in January to 51, the highest monthly toll in at least 16 years.

The Chicago Police Department said in a statement on Monday that there were 22 more homicides in the first month of this year than in January 2015.

The number of shooting incidents also more than doubled to 242 during the same period.

Police said that the “unacceptable” rise in homicides was largely driven by gang-related violence.

The rise in bloodshed comes as the police department is struggling to win back public trust after the court-ordered release of a video showing a white police officer fatally shooting black teenager Laquan McDonald 16 times.

Mayor Rahm Emanuel faced mounting calls for resignation during near daily protests in the wake of the release of the video late last year.

Chicago, the third largest city in the US, routinely records more homicides than any other American city.

Chicago police have long been under scrutiny over what critics describe as a police culture of "shoot first and ask questions later."

According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), firearms are the cause of death for more than 33,000 people in the United States every year, a number that includes accidental discharge, murder and suicides.

Press TV’s website can also be accessed at the following alternate addresses:

www.presstv.co.uk