Easter weekend violence in Chicago leaves 9 dead, 35 wounded including 5 children

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Chicago welcomed warmer weather Easter weekend — but as the temperatures rose, crime increased.

The city has recently boasted a stark decline in gun violence after it reported a record-low number of murder rates in the year’s first quarter for the first time in decades.

However, this encouraging sign seems to only be an anomaly as the city — unfortunately nicknamed America’s “murder capital” — has seen a growing number of homicides.

In the past weekend alone, nine people have died while at least 35 people remain wounded as a result of gun violence. Of the individuals wounded, five were children — all of whom were injured during a drive-by shooting while leaving a park Easter evening, NBC Chicago reports. At least 23 bullets were fired during the incident.

All of the children were admitted to the local hospital where two remain in critical condition while others are stable and recovering. Police have not yet identified or taken anyone into custody.

“You can’t even come to the park and enjoy yourself without this happening,” witness Christiana Sanders told NBC 5. “The kids should be able to come into their community without worrying about violence. It needs to stop.”

These shootings add to the ongoing toll of lives lost and wounded as a result of violence in the Windy City.

“We need help with the gun laws because the national average for gun violence, we’re way above it as far as murder by gun shot goes,” said Chicago police Supt. Garry McCarthy. “Until such time as we stem the flow of those guns coming into the city and people start going to jail for it, we can make progress, which we’ve made. But we’re not going to fix this problem without some help from Springfield.”

For more details on the gun violence in Chicago this weekend, visit NBC Chicago.

Follow Lilly Workneh on Twitter @Lilly_Works