At least 58 people were shot, eight of them fatally, across Chicago during the Labor Day weekend, including a drive-by that left seven people wounded, police said.
The violence came as President Donald Trump renewed his warnings that he might send federal agents and National Guard troops to Chicago, despite opposition from Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson.
“Chicago is the worst, most dangerous city in the world, by far. Pritzker needs help badly, he just doesn’t know it yet. I will solve the crime problem fast, just like I did in DC. Chicago will be safe again, and soon,” Trump posted on his social media platform Tuesday. He pointed to the weekend shootings as proof federal intervention is needed.
Later that day at a White House press conference, Trump said he has already made the decision to send National Guard troops to Chicago. “We’re going in,” he said, without giving a timeline.
Pritzker called Trump’s remarks “unhinged.” Speaking at a press conference with Mayor Johnson, the governor insisted he would not request troops. He claimed to have information from “unauthorized patriotic officials” and reporters that Trump is preparing to put military personnel on Chicago’s streets. “In the coming days we expect to see what has played out in Los Angeles and Washington, D.C., to happen here,” Pritzker warned.
Trump had already posted a warning to Pritzker days earlier, saying he “better straighten it out, FAST, or we’re coming!” Pritzker responded that the president’s plan was “illegal, unconstitutional, and un-American.”
Mayor Johnson also criticized the idea, saying the deployment would be “uncoordinated, uncalled for, and unsound.” He argued it could inflame tensions between residents and law enforcement. On Saturday, Johnson signed an executive order called the “Protecting Chicago Initiative,” which directs the city’s lawyers to challenge federal actions in court. Johnson said credible reports suggest the city may have “days, not weeks” before militarized activity begins.
According to police reports reviewed by ABC News, at least 37 separate shootings took place in Chicago between Friday evening and late Monday. Victims included a 17-year-old girl hit by a bullet that entered her home, a 31-year-old man caught in crossfire, and several people injured while driving.
One of the worst incidents happened in the Bronzeville neighborhood Saturday night, when gunfire from a passing car wounded seven people. Police said the victims, ranging from ages 28 to 32, were hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries.
Eight homicides were recorded over the weekend. Among them:
- A 25-year-old woman fatally shot in an apartment on East Essex Street late Friday.
- A 29-year-old man killed in East Garfield Park Saturday morning when gunmen opened fire from an SUV.
- A 43-year-old woman killed in Altgeld Gardens Saturday evening after being shot multiple times by five attackers.
- A 46-year-old man killed in a triple shooting in Pilsen early Sunday.
- A 33-year-old man shot in the head during an argument in West Inglewood.
- A 26-year-old woman fatally shot in Pullman Sunday evening after an argument.
- A man found dead from gunshot wounds in Little Village late Sunday.
- A 48-year-old man killed in West Elsdon Monday morning.
Other shootings left multiple people injured, including a Monday morning incident in Oakland where five people were shot during a street disturbance.
Trump has suggested Chicago could be the next city placed under federal control, following his declaration of a public safety emergency in Washington, D.C., last month.
Despite the weekend’s violence, city data shows overall crime is down this year. Shootings dropped 37% and homicides 32% compared to the first half of 2024.
Pritzker dismissed Trump’s threats: “Do not come to Chicago, you are neither wanted here nor needed here. 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.”
