Although the pandemic took a heavy toll, COVID-19 is also accused of contributing to a record number of deaths from gun violence.
At the age of 18, Nasee Minniefield has just graduated from high school and had his whole life to himself until he was shot and killed on Halloween.
“I really haven’t been right since then,” said Nasee’s grandmother, Donna Minniefield. “I am numb, I am sad, I am in pain.”
According to the Cook County Medical Examiner’s office, Minniefield was one of 875 people who died of gun violence last year; 78% of the victims were black.
“That’s by far the highest number of firearms-related murders we’ve ever had. The only time we got close was in 1994, when we had 838 murders from gun violence,” said Natalia Derevyanny, Cook’s spokeswoman County Medical Examination Office.
“I see so many on TV and I’ve seen so many innocent children – children are being murdered and I never dreamed one day of my life that I would feel the pain they feel,” Minniefield said.
The number of deaths from gun violence was not the only record-breaker this year. Cook County also recorded a total of 16,049 deaths in 2020, which was also a record.
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Those numbers were boosted by the 8,192 lives lost from deaths from COVID-19 infection.
Pandemic stress is also considered a contributing factor to the homicide rate during the unprecedented year.
Chicago police also released the final crime number for 2020 on Friday, which showed that shootings and murders were up more than 50% in 2020.
In 2020 there were 769 murders, significantly more than the 495 murders in 2019.
In terms of shootings, the city registered 3,261 last year, a big jump from 2,140 shootings in 2019. The number of shootings rose to 4,033 in 2020, from 2,598 in 2019.
This illustrates a sky-high year of violence after three years of progress, in which many innocent children were killed and some police officers were also targeted by gunfire.
Nearly a quarter of the murders took place on the West Side.
City leaders and a new Chicago Police Inspector were forced to deal with the civil unrest amid the COVID-19 pandemic, implementing various community police strategies, among other tactics. But police say overall crime is on the decline.
Chief Superintendent of Police David Brown pledges to make improvements when it comes to building community relationships and strengthening investigations.
“I think our savior will be the COVID vaccination,” Dr. Faran Bokhari, Chief of Trauma at Cook County Hospital. “I think people are so tired of being indoors and not being able to do what they normally do.”
Another sobering statistic is the once-high rate of deaths from opioid overdoses, reported by the Cook County medical examiner’s office. According to the ME, there are 1,599 confirmed cases so far and possibly as many as 500 pending toxicology results.
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“Really, our biggest fear was, you know, really, you know, thinking – we’ve seen the number of opioid deaths just go up in a very awkward way,” said Dr. Steven Aks, Cook County Hospital ER Physician and Toxicologist.
But behind all the statistics are real families who have lost loved ones and are in pain. These families are carrying the pain of 2020 into the New Year in the hope of a cure.
New year of crime
Two people were hit by stray gunfire just after ringing in the New Year.
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At around 12 minutes past midnight, Chicago police said a man and a woman were in the living room of a house when shooting from outside took place.
The shooting took place in the 8700 block of South Buffalo Avenue in the South Chicago neighborhood.
The 51-year-old man is now in critical condition with a gunshot wound to the head and a 51-year-old woman has a scrape on her head. Nobody is stuck.
A 41-year-old man was killed in Chicago’s first murder of the new year.
Police said he was driving near 47th and King Drive in the Bronzeville neighborhood at night when someone started shooting.
The man was shot in the neck and crashed his car.
The police have not made any arrests.
On Friday morning, Superintendent Brown issued a statement saying:
“2020 has been a perfect storm.
Public safety is an effort of all hands, in which not only the police, but also street workers, religious leaders, the courts, civil society organizations and residents must work together. However, the criminal justice ecosystem was profoundly impacted and disrupted by the global coronavirus pandemic and the death of George Floyd.
The rise in fatal shootings and murders is not unique to Chicago as many major city chiefs and law enforcement officers grapple with unprecedented levels of violence across the country. Our Chicago police officers faced an unprecedented set of circumstances from facing a spike in violent crime, made all the more difficult by a health pandemic while dealing with protracted periods of heightened civil unrest and looting.
Our agents are victims of violent crimes themselves as shots at CPD agents are up 558% since 2015. Since January 1, 2020, 79 officers have been shot at in 2020, with 10 officers being hit by bullets.
As the rest of our city and country grappled with a global pandemic, Chicago police also recorded more than 2,450 confirmed cases of COVID-19 across the Department. Unfortunately, four of our CPD officers have succumbed to COVID-related illnesses.
Over the summer, we focused our crime-fighting strategy on a city-wide approach to deploy resources in high-violence areas. This strategic shift has positively impacted public safety and slowed the pace of monthly murders, which accelerated in the first half of 2020. We have also increased resources to support our mid- and higher-level drug research. drug dealers, who have proven to be the main drivers of violence.
The best way to reduce crime and violence is to prevent it from happening by building bridges and trusting the community. Community involvement has become a central part of our approach to public safety at the unit level, from the detective agency to the municipal community safety teams and critical incident response teams. This includes the Rollin ‘Rec events held over the summer in conjunction with the Chicago Parks District, along with the upcoming 2021 Police Athletic and Arts League launch. We also expanded the Neighborhood Policing Initiative from two to five districts and expand to additional districts in 2021.
As we close a tumultuous year and prepare for 2021, our department’s vision for a safer Chicago will be rooted in a five-pillar strategy for strategic change: Growing Community Trust, Transformational Change Through Reform, Officer Well-being, Ensuring Public Safety and Strengthening Research .
The Chicago Police Department has a moral obligation to respect the dignity and sanctity of human life. That dignity and respect must be reflected in every aspect of how we function and permeate every aspect of our organizational culture.
Finally, I want to say how proud I am to be associated with the men and women of the Chicago Police Department. Regardless of the hardship, regardless of the danger, they continue to report to their service every day and night to serve and protect this great city. ”
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