A weeks-long wave of shootings in major American cities continued over the Fourth of July weekend, with dozens of people shot in Chicago, New York, Atlanta, and elsewhere. The trend began after Memorial Day and the civil unrest sparked by the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, which led to mass demonstrations, looting, and riots across the country. Police departments find themselves facing mass protests and demands for reform. Additionally, the unrest is occurring in the middle of a pandemic that has caused mass economic dislocation. All these factors combined have contributed to the current shooting wave, and despite the efforts of police and gun-violence-intervention workers, the wave shows no signs of slowing down.
Chicago has seen more than 330 homicides since the start of 2020, most of them shooting victims. At this rate, the city could surpass the number of homicides recorded in 2016, regarded as one of the most violent years in Chicago in the past two decades. In June 2020 alone, there were 424 victims of shootings, up 75 percent from June 2019.
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