Lightfoot, Newsmax reporter clash over Chicago crime: 'you've lost control of the city'
CHICAGO - Tensions became heated Friday evening when Newsmax reporter William Kelly asked Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot about violent crime in the city.
According to data, more than 300 people have been shot and killed in Chicago this year. More than 1,500 have been shot and wounded.
When Kelly pressed Lightfoot on the apparent surge in violent crime, the mayor said he had his facts wrong.
Earlier this week, President Joe Biden promised to help Chicago and other big cities that have been hit hard by an increase in deadly gun violence. He said the Department of Justice will create a new strike force to help local police stem the flow of illegal firearms.
"To crack down (on) illegal gun trafficking, and the (cartels) applying weapons to cities like New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Washington D.C. and the Bay Area. With each strike force, local and federal law enforcement and prosecutors are going to be able to better coordinate the prosecution of illegal gun trafficking across city and state lines," Biden said.
On Monday, Mayor Lightfoot – who promised to reduce Chicago’s bloody street violence – said this month has been less violent than last year in June.
"We are seeing a downward trajectory, where other cities are continuing to see a climb," Lightfoot said.
2021 is so far Chicago’s deadliest year in more than a decade.
Just this past weekend, the world watched in horror as video out of Humboldt Park showed two people in a minor car accident suddenly swarmed and shot, execution-style.