At least 53 people were shot, seven of them killed, across Chicago over Labor Day weekend, including a drive-by shooting that injured seven people, according to police.
The violent holiday weekend came as President Donald Trump once again threatened to send federal agents and National Guard troops to Chicago, despite pushback from Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson.
On Saturday, Trump warned Pritzker in a post on his social media platform, saying the governor “better straighten it out, FAST, or we’re coming!” The message referred to recent violence in Chicago.
Pritzker, a Democrat, had already spoken against the idea. A week earlier, he called Trump’s plan “unprecedented and unwarranted,” saying it was “illegal, unconstitutional, and un-American.”
Johnson also expressed concerns, saying that the deployment of National Guard troops could escalate tensions between residents and law enforcement. He called Trump’s approach “uncalled for and unsound.”
On Saturday, Johnson signed an executive order called the “Protecting Chicago Initiative.” He said it would use every legal tool available to challenge what he described as federal overreach. “We have credible reports that we have days, not weeks, before our city sees some type of militarized activity,” Johnson said.
According to a review of police reports by ABC News, at least 31 separate shootings took place between Friday night and early Monday morning. Victims included a 17-year-old girl shot inside her home, a 31-year-old man caught in crossfire, and two people injured while driving.
Just hours after Trump’s online post criticizing Pritzker, a mass shooting in the Bronzeville neighborhood left seven people wounded. Police said a car drove by and opened fire on a crowd, injuring five men and two women between ages 28 and 32. All were hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries.
The first homicide of the weekend occurred late Friday night in the South Shore neighborhood, where two women were shot in an apartment. One, a 25-year-old, later died. Police are questioning a person of interest.
Other fatal shootings included:
- A 29-year-old man killed in East Garfield Park on Saturday morning.
- A 43-year-old woman killed in Altgeld Gardens on Saturday evening.
- A 46-year-old man shot dead in Pilsen early Sunday.
- A 33-year-old man killed in West Inglewood on Sunday morning.
- A 26-year-old woman shot during an argument in Pullman on Sunday evening.
- An unidentified man found dead in Little Village late Sunday night.
On Monday, five more people were shot in the Oakland neighborhood, including a 17-year-old boy in critical condition. Police recovered four guns at the scene and are questioning a person of interest.
The wave of shootings comes as Trump has signaled he is ready to send National Guard troops not just to Chicago, but to other U.S. cities if local officials do not request help. Earlier this month, he put Washington, D.C.’s police under federal control after declaring a public safety emergency.
Despite the recent surge, official city data shows that violent crime in Chicago has dropped sharply in 2025 compared to 2024. Shootings are down 37%, homicides are down 32%, and overall violent crime has fallen by more than 22%.
Pritzker has strongly rejected Trump’s threats. “Do not come to Chicago. You are neither wanted here nor needed here,” he said. “Donald Trump wants to use the military to occupy a U.S. city to punish its dissidents and score political points. If this were happening in any other country, we would call it what it is – a dangerous power grab.”
