Chicago's top cop thanks officers for peaceful Puerto Rican Festival, though more than 30 were shot elsewhere

CHICAGO - Chicago’s top cop thanked his officers for a peaceful Puerto Rican Festival over the weekend, though he acknowledged his department was challenged in other parts of the city where four people were killed and at least 28 others were wounded.

"While many were able to enjoy their weekend safely, we do understand, as always, there’s more work to do," Interim Chicago police Supt. Fred Waller said outside the Humboldt Park field house, which served as a command center during the festival, which draws thousands of people.

Waller said patrols on the lakefront and on the beaches were "stretched thin," and he singled the 11th police district on the West Side, where at least 8 people were shot on the weekend.

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The district has recorded the most shootings in the city for three straight weekends, according to police data. "The 11th is always a challenging district," Waller said.

"This weekend we saw what we need to make changes and where we need additional resources," the superintendent added. "We are applying what we learned these past few weeks to our operations moving forward so we can continuously improve."

Fatal weekend shootings

• A man was killed and another man wounded Sunday morning in Chicago Lawn on the South Side. They were outside in the 3100 block of West Redfield Drive when someone approached and fired shots about 8 a.m., according to Chicago police. The older man, 30, suffered multiple gunshot wounds and was taken to Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, where he was pronounced dead. The other man, 25, was shot in the abdomen and was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital, where he was listed in critical condition.
• Later Sunday, a 20-year-old man was shot and killed in the North Lawndale neighborhood. He was standing on a sidewalk in the 1900 block of South St. Louis Avenue when someone approached in a vehicle and fired shots around 6 p.m., striking him multiple times, police said. He was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
• Around 1 a.m. Sunday, a man was fatally shot on a street in the Humboldt Park neighborhood. Santos Rodriguez, 27, was shot multiple times in the 3700 block of West Division Street, police and the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office said. He was transported to Mount Sinai Hospital, where he died.
• A 49-year-old man was fatally shot about 11:15 p.m. Friday in the 300 block of South Campbell Avenue in the Near West Side neighborhood, police said. The 49-year-old suffered several gunshot wounds and was pronounced dead at Stroger Hospital, police said.

Other shootings

• Three teens were shot around 2:30 p.m. Sunday at the 95th Street station, according to police. A 19-year-old man began fighting with someone on the sidewalk before running into the train station vestibule, according to police. Shots were fired and a 16-year-old boy was taken in critical condition to University of Chicago Medical Center with gunshot wounds to the arm and back. The other two were taken to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, where the 18-year-old was in good condition and the 19-year-old was in fair condition. A 44-year-old woman cut her head when she fell while running away, police said.
• A 16-year-old boy was shot on a porch in Belmont Cragin Saturday night. He was wounded in the head around 9:30 p.m. in the 5300 block of West Oakdale Avenue. He was listed in critical condition at Illinois Masonic Hospital.
• Three other teens – a 15-year-old boy, a 16-year-old boy and a 17-year-old boy – were wounded in separate shootings on the city’s South and West Sides over the weekend.

At least 20 other people were shot between 5 p.m. Friday and 5 a.m. Monday across Chicago.