During Labor Day weekend, a wave of violence swept through Chicago, resulting in a staggering total of at least 54 individuals being shot, with seven of those incidents tragically ending in fatalities.
Among the alarming occurrences was a drive-by shooting, which left seven innocent bystanders injured, highlighting the unpredictability and danger that permeated the holiday.
This surge in gun violence coincided with President Donald Trump’s renewed threats to deploy federal agents and National Guard troops to address the escalating crisis in the city.
Such a measure has sparked significant controversy, facing staunch opposition from both Illinois Governor JB Pritzker and Mayor Brandon Johnson, who have expressed their disapproval of federal intervention in local law enforcement matters.
Trump wrote on Saturday that Pritzker “better straighten it out, FAST, or we’re coming!”
Pritzker had earlier called the idea “unprecedented and unwarranted. It is illegal, it is unconstitutional, it is un-American.”
Johnson also said he had “grave concerns about the impact of any unlawful deployment of National Guard troops to the city of Chicago,” calling Trump’s approach “uncoordinated, uncalled for, and unsound.”
On Saturday, Johnson signed an executive order titled the “Protecting Chicago Initiative,” which he described as “the most sweeping campaign of any city in the country to protect ourselves from the threats and actions of this out-of-control administration.”
He said the order “directs our department of law to pursue any and every legal mechanism to hold this administration accountable for violating the rights of Chicagoans.” Johnson added, “We have received credible reports that we have days, not weeks, before our city sees some type of militarized activity by the federal government.”
Between Friday night and Monday noon, police logged at least 32 separate shootings. Victims included a 17-year-old girl hit by a bullet that entered her home, a man shot in the leg during crossfire, and others wounded while driving.
Less than five hours after Trump’s social media post, seven people were injured in a mass shooting in the Bronzeville neighborhood.
Police said a vehicle drove by a group on South State Street around 11:10 p.m. Saturday, and someone inside opened fire. The victims, ranging in age from 28 to 32, were taken to hospitals with injuries to their legs and feet. No arrests have been made.
The weekend’s first homicide happened late Friday in South Shore, where two women were shot inside an apartment. A 25-year-old woman died, while a 23-year-old woman was hospitalized. Other fatal shootings occurred in East Garfield Park, Altgeld Gardens, Pilsen, West Inglewood, Pullman, and Little Village. Victims ranged in age from 26 to 48.
Early Monday, five people were shot in Oakland, including a 17-year-old boy who was critically wounded. Four guns were recovered at the scene, and one person of interest was being questioned. Later that morning, a 48-year-old man was critically wounded in West Elsdon.
The shootings happened as Trump continued to threaten more federal deployments. He has said he wants cities to request federal help but has also warned he may send troops without such requests. Pritzker pushed back last week, saying, “Do not come to Chicago, you are neither wanted here nor needed here. Donald Trump wants to use the military to occupy a U.S. city to punish its dissidents and score political points. If this were happening in any other country, we would have no trouble calling it what it is – a dangerous power-grab.”
Despite the violent weekend, city data shows crime has dropped this year. Officials report shootings are down 37%, homicides 32%, and overall violent crime more than 22% compared to the same period in 2024.
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