Chambana Sun

In a June 20 Facebook post, Rep. Chris Miller (R-Robinson) shared information on shootings in the state over the weekend.

"75 people were shot with 13 people losing their lives due to out-of-control gun violence in the city of Chicago over the weekend, " the legislator wrote. "The citizens of Illinois are being subjected to constant violence on our streets as Illinois Democrats refuse to acknowledge their soft-on-crime approach to criminal justice isn’t working. Three mass shootings were reported in the Chicago area in a two-day span over the weekend."

In his Facebook post, Rep. Miller shared a link to an NBC Chicago 5 report of three mass shootings in Chicago that saw at least 33 people shot, and three individuals died.  One of the shootings was at a Juneteenth celebration, and another was near Lincoln Park Zoo on Saturday, June 17, according to the news report. The second happened on Sunday, June 18, just before 12:30 a.m.      

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker issued a statement following the mass shooting at the Willowbrook Juneteenth celebration, the second of the reported shootings. NBC Chicago 5 shared that statement as an embedded tweet on their article page.

“I am closely monitoring the violent shooting that took place in Willowbrook last night," the governor said. "Gathering for a holiday celebration should be a joyful occasion, not a time where gunfire erupts and families are forced to run for safety. As I’ve said time and time again, gun violence is a public health emergency in this country, and I remain committed to banning these dangerous weapons and making our state safer for everyone. As we continue to learn more, I want to thank our first responders who were on the scene and our doctors and nurses who are working to help the injured. MK and I send our deepest condolences to everyone impacted by this senseless act of violence.”               

Over the Father's Day weekend, 75 people were shot and 13 died from shootings on the city's South and West sides, Miller said on Facebook.

"It is yet another weekend in which the city has had multiple gun-related deaths,” he wrote.

Miller also shared a link to a Center Square article focusing on Chicago city officials’ concerns over violence.     

The article quotes Fred Waller, interim superintendent of the Chicago Police in a discussion of gun violence and the weather. 

"As more people are out in the summertime, we know that some of those people have people that are against them or have conflicts with those people," Waller said. "That's what happened. Somebody came by and just opened fire on the whole group.

The Memorial Day holiday weekend saw 32 people shot as well. Waller said CPD needs to do a better job."Our heart goes out to the families," Waller said. "We just need to do better. Try a little harder."