Although the pandemic has had a strong impact, COVID-19 is also being held responsible for contributing to a record number of deaths due to armed violence.
At 18, Nasee Minniefield just graduated from high school and had his whole life ahead of him, until he was shot and killed on Halloween.
“I haven’t really got it right since,” said Nasee’s grandmother Donna Minniefield. “I am numb, I am sad, I am suffering.”
According to the Cook County medical examiner’s office, Minniefield was one of 875 people who died from armed violence last year; 78% of the victims were black.
“This is by far the largest total of firearm homicides we have ever had. The only time we came close to that was in 1994, when we had 838 homicides due to armed violence,” said Natalia Derevyanny, a spokesman for Cook County Medical Examiner’s office.
“I see so many on TV and I have seen so many innocent children – children are killed and I would never have dreamed of a day in my life when I would feel the pain they feel,” said Minniefield.
Deaths from armed violence were not the only record of the year. Cook County also recorded a total of 16,049 deaths in 2020, which was also a record.
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These numbers were driven by 8,192 lives lost due to deaths from COVID-19 infection.
Pandemic stress is also considered a factor that contributes to the unprecedented number of homicides during the year.
Chicago police also released the final number of crimes for 2020 on Friday, which showed that shootings and murders increased by more than 50% in 2020.
In 2020, there were 769 murders, a considerable increase compared to the 495 murders recorded in 2019.
As for shootings, the city recorded 3,261 last year, a huge jump from 2,140 shootings in 2019. The number of gunfire victims rose to 4,033 in 2020, from 2,598 in 2019.
This illustrates a year in which violence soared after three years of progress, in which many innocent children were killed and some policemen also became targets of gunfire.
Almost a quarter of the murders took place on the West Side.
City leaders and a new Chicago police superintendent were forced to tackle civil unrest in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, implementing various community policing strategies, among other tactics. But the police say the general crime has decreased.
Police Superintendent David Brown is promising to make improvements when it comes to building community partnerships 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 tired of staying indoors and not being able to do what they usually do.”
Another worrying statistic is the record number 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 potentially another 500 pending toxicological results.
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“Indeed, our worst fears were, you know, really, you know, we imagined – that we saw the number of opioid fatalities increase in a very problematic way,” said Dr. Steven Aks, emergency room physician at Cook County Hospital and Toxicologist.
But behind all the statistics, there are royal families who have lost loved ones and are suffering. These families carry the pain of 2020 into the new year as they await a cure.
New Year of Crime
Two people were hit by stray bullets shortly after playing in the new year.
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At about 12 minutes after midnight, Chicago police said a man and a woman were sitting in the living room of a house when shots were fired from outside, hitting them.
The shooting took place on block 8700 on 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 superficial head injury. No one is in custody.
A 41-year-old man was killed in the first homicide of the new year in Chicago.
Police said he was driving near 47 on King Drive in the Bronzeville neighborhood at night when someone started shooting.
The man was shot in the neck and crashed the car.
The police made no arrests.
Friday morning, Superintendent Brown issued a statement saying:
“2020 was a perfect storm.
Public security is a total effort that requires not only the police, but also street educators, religious leaders, courts, community organizations and residents working together. The criminal justice ecosystem, however, has been deeply affected and disrupted by the global coronavirus pandemic and the death of George Floyd.
The rise in fatal shootings and homicides is not unique to Chicago, as many chiefs of major cities and law enforcement officials are battling unprecedented levels of violence across the country. Our Chicago Police officers faced an unprecedented set of circumstances in fighting an increase in violent crime, made even more difficult by having to deal with a health pandemic while facing long periods of civil unrest and pillaging.
Our policemen have also been subjected to violent crimes, as shots fired at CPD policemen have increased by 558% since 2015. Since January 1, 2020, 79 policemen have been targeted in 2020, with 10 policemen hit by bullets.
While the rest of our city and nation struggled with a global pandemic, the Chicago Police Department also recorded more than 2,450 confirmed cases of COVID-19 across the Department. Unfortunately, four of our CPD officers succumbed to COVID-related illnesses.
During the summer, we directed our crime-fighting strategy towards a city-wide approach, with the aim of distributing resources in areas with high levels of violence. This strategic shift had a positive impact on public security and slowed the rate of monthly murders, which accelerated during the first half of 2020. We also devote more resources to strengthening our narcotics investigations at middle and higher levels of drug traffickers, which have proven to be the main drivers of violence.
The best way to reduce crime and violence is to prevent it from happening in the first place by building bridges and building trust in the community. Community involvement has become a central component of our unit-level public security approach, from the Detective Department to community security teams and critical incident response teams across the city. This includes the Rollin ‘Rec events held over the summer in partnership with the Chicago Parks District, along with the upcoming launch of the Police Athletic and Arts League in 2021. We also expanded the neighborhood policing initiative from two to five districts last summer and will expand into 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: Increasing Community Trust, Transformational Change through Reform, Being of the Officer, Ensuring Public Safety and Strengthening Investigations.
The Chicago Police Department has a moral obligation to respect the dignity and sanctity of human life. This dignity and respect must be reflected in all aspects of how we operate and must permeate all aspects of our organizational culture.
Finally, I would like to say how proud I am to be associated with the men and women of the Chicago Police Department. No matter the difficulties, no matter the danger, they continue to report to the service every day and night to serve and protect this great city. ”
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