It was the warmest weekend of the year so far in Chicago which means it was also the most violent in a city that boasts some of the strictest gun laws in the country.
About two dozen people were shot in a 12 hour time period to kick off the weekend.
The weekend violence started around 5:20pm in the Austin neighborhood when police said a 23-yr-old woman was shot in the buttocks.
Five minutes later a 20-yr-old man was shot in the left shoulder while walking down 31st Street.
Just before 7pm police spotted a teen with a weapon on South Keeler Avenue. They approached the suspect for questioning. The young man tried to flee the scene so cops chased him on foot. As they were chasing him the teenager shot himself in the head. He died.
An hour later seven people were wounded while standing on a street corner in the Englewood neighborhood. None of the victims injuries were fatal but a three-year-old was among the wounded.
All of these incidents took place before the sun had even set.
CBS Chicago reports the following shootings happened after 5pm on Friday:
• A 15-year-old boy was standing with a group of people in the 3400 block of West Walnut Street around 9:15 p.m. Friday in the East Garfield Park neighborhood, when someone in a passing Jeep Grand Cherokee opened fire. The boy was shot in the foot, and was taken to Stroger Hospital in good condition.
• Around 9:20 p.m., a 17-year-old boy was getting into a vehicle with friends near 121st and Lafayette in the West Pullman neighborhood, when someone walked up and shot him in the chest. A relative drove the teen to Roseland Community Hospital, and he later was transferred to Comer Children’s Hospital, where he was stabilized.
• Less than 30 minutes later, a 19-year-old man was standing outside in the 1300 block of East 75th Street in the South Shore neighborhood, when someone shot him in the leg. He was taken to the University of Chicago trauma center, where he was stabilized.
• At 10:35 p.m., a 23-year-old man was walking near 116th and Yale in the West Pullman neighborhood, when another man walked up and shot him in the leg. The victim was taken to MetroSouth Medical Center in Blue Island, where he was stabilized.
• Shortly after 11 p.m. a 23-year-old woman and a 35-year-old man were standing together in the 700 block of North Ridgeway Avenue, when the woman was shot twice in the leg, and the man was shot in the torso. The man was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital, and the woman was taken to Stroger Hospital. Both their conditions have stabilized.
• Two 19-year-old men were driving near 46th and Pulaski in the Archer Heights neighborhood shortly before 11:30 p.m., when someone in a gray Jeep pulled up behind them and opened fire. Both victims were shot in the shoulder, and were stabilized at Mount Sinai Hospital.
• A 15-year-old boy was sitting inside a home on the 2000 block of West 68th Street in the West Englewood neighborhood just before midnight, when a bullet came through the window, striking him in the chest. He was taken to Comer Children’s Hospital in fair condition.
• A 22-year-old man was walking in the 2100 block of East 71st Street in the South Shore neighborhood around 12:15 a.m. Saturday, when he was shot in the groin. He was taken to the University of Chicago trauma center, where his condition was stabilized.
• Around 12:40 a.m., a 26-year-old man was standing outside a vehicle near 41st and Lake Park, when someone shot him in the foot. He took himself to Mercy Hospital & Medical Center, where he was in good condition.
• At about 3:15 a.m., a 17-year-old girl was riding in a car with her boyfriend on the 1900 block of North Kedzie Avenue in the Logan Square neighborhood, when someone in a black Infiniti sedan began shooting. The girl suffered a graze wound to her shoulder, and took herself to Presence St. Mary’s Hospital, where she was stabilized.
• A 38-year-old man was sitting in his parked car in the 5500 block of West Huron Street in the Austin neighborhood around 4:30 a.m., when someone shot him several times in the face and once in the leg. He was in critical condition at Stroger Hospital.
• At about 5:20 a.m., a 22-year-old man was shot multiple times below the waist near 85th and Morgan in the Auburn Gresham neighborhood. He was taken to St. Bernard Hospital in serious condition.
No one has been arrested for any of these shootings, according to police.
Chicago has arguably the strictest gun laws of any big city in America. There are no public gun ranges or firearm dealerships anywhere inside the city limits and somehow they still remain the most violent community in America.
CHICAGO, IL - DECEMBER 31: Residents, activists, and friends and family members of victims of gun violence march down Michigan Avenue carrying nearly 800 wooden crosses bearing the names of people murdered in the city in 2016 on December 31, 2016 in Chicago, Illinois. Nearly 800 people have been murdered in the city this year and more than 4000 shot as the city copes with its most violent year in two decades. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)