CHICAGO (WLS) — Mayor Brandon Johnson said he does not plan to change his administration’s approach to violence prevention following the weekend mass shooting in Washington Park that left one person dead and 14 others injured.
Police continue to investigate the shooting, which officials described as the largest mass shooting in Chicago this year. Authorities say at least two shooters dressed in black and wearing ski masks opened fire into a crowd around 11:30 p.m. Saturday. Police said someone from the gathering returned fire. Detectives are collecting surveillance video as they work to identify those responsible.
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The shooting drew comments from President Donald Trump, who described violence in Chicago as out of control and said he was awaiting a request for help from the mayor.
In a post, Trump wrote, “Chicago violence is unchecked and at record levels. It has never been worse! This weekend 41 people were shot, 3 DEAD. These numbers are becoming normalized. It is out of control!”
Trump went on to say he is waiting for Johnson or Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker to call him, writing, “The city will die if the Federal Government, a fine tuned crime fighting machine, is not invited in, by the Mayor or Governor, to HELP. I am awaiting the call. Nobody should be forced to live under these conditions.”
Johnson dismissed the criticism.
“When you have a president who is literally defunding the operations that can actually assist us in creating safer communities, it’s difficult to take anything that he says seriously,” Johnson said.
“I find him to be a sorry individual, and if he was serious about driving violence down not just in Chicago, but across the country, he would not be engaged in endless illegal wars,” Johnson continued. “The president is investing more to bomb children than he is to feed children. He has an open invitation in Chicago and across this country to reverse the largest upward transfer of wealth that he placed into the hands of the ultra-rich and actually fund the institutions and operations that ultimately provide safety and security for the people of this city and in this nation.”
Trump also bragged about his efforts in the nation’s capital and in other cities claiming, “Like D.C. and others, they will have almost no crime, FAST! The State and City can’t do what I do. Governor Pritzker, CALL!!!”
Both Johnson and Pritzker have previously clashed with Trump over threats to deploy the National Guard in Chicago.
Pritzker has said the president is neither wanted nor needed in the city, before launching a political attack blasting government tariff policies.
Pritzker posted a response to Trump saying, “When Trump last sent agents to Illinois, they murdered a father and shot an innocent woman in broad daylight – then attempted to cover it up. We need to keep reducing violence, but this President does not make it easier. If only he hadn’t defunded the very programs that help.”
Trump, who has previously branded Chicago a hell hole, will be heading to the Chicago area later this month for the Presidents Cup golf tournament at Medinah Country Club in DuPage County. It gets underway on Sept. 24. He’s the event’s honorary chairman.
Meanwhile, in the aftermath of the mass shooting, city workers and volunteers canvassed the Washington Park neighborhood, distributing flyers about an emergency assistance center scheduled to open this week.
“There is no sugarcoating it. The violence that inflicted families over this weekend caused a tremendous amount of terror and trauma,” Johnson said.
The mayor called the shooting “absolutely unacceptable” but said the city’s current anti-violence strategies are producing results and should continue.
“Our responsibility is not simply to condemn what happened. It is to show up for the people who are harmed,” Johnson said.
Johnson also defended the administration’s investments in youth initiatives and violence intervention programs.
“Our focus on youth is paying dividends with youth-involved homicides and shootings bowed down compared to last year’s historic lows,” Johnson said.
“As we continue to see the overall trend of violence go down in the city of Chicago, we’re doubling down on the work that’s working,” he added.
The shooting occurred in Ald. Jeanette Taylor’s 20th Ward. Taylor said she wants city parks to be cleared at closing time in the same manner as the lakefront.
“Because at the lake, at a certain time, the police pull up. They’re not letting anybody in there trying to shift people out. At the park, it’s not quite like that,” Taylor said.
Washington Park is scheduled to close at 11 p.m. Chicago Park District General Superintendent and CEO Carlos Ramirez-Rosa said officers were already working to clear the area when the shooting occurred.
“Police were on site, as has been reported, working to close the park and disperse individuals that were there,” Ramirez-Rosa said.
Interim Chicago Police Superintendent Fred Waller said additional lighting in and around Washington Park could help officers disperse larger crowds. However, he said a police presence alone cannot always prevent violence.
“This just goes to really speak to how emboldened some of these criminals are, because if you see a police car, normally that’s a deterrent, but it is not always a deterrent when someone is determined to shoot someone,” Waller said.
Waller said investigators believe the shooting may have been targeted.
Waller said the Chicago Police Department is prepared for the upcoming holiday weekend, with officers working overtime as the investigation continues.
An emergency assistance center will be open from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday at the Washington Field House. Officials said the center is available to anyone affected by violence, not only those impacted by Saturday’s mass shooting.
Cook County Crime Stoppers is now offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to an arrest in the shooting.
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