President Donald Trump called for federal intervention in Chicago after a violent weekend over the Juneteenth and Father’s Day holiday weekend left multiple people dead and dozens injured in shootings across the city.
Trump questioned Illinois leadership’s response and said federal action could quickly restore safety in the city.
The president made the comments after Chicago police and local media reported a surge of shootings from Friday through Sunday across multiple neighborhoods.
Preliminary figures varied, but officials indicated that at least 30 to nearly 40 people were shot during the weekend, with fatalities ranging from about five to seven depending on reporting cutoffs and ongoing updates, according to CBS News.
One of the most severe incidents occurred in the Roseland neighborhood on the South Side, where gunfire erupted late Friday in what authorities described as a mass shooting.
Reports said a vehicle pulled up near a crowd and multiple gunmen opened fire, injuring at least a dozen people. Victims ranged from teenagers to adults, and several were transported to area hospitals for treatment.
Additional shootings were reported throughout Saturday and Sunday in neighborhoods including North Lawndale and other West Side areas.
Police said several victims were teenagers or young adults, and at least one incident led to an arrest after a firearm was recovered at the scene.
Investigators said they were continuing to examine multiple shooting scenes as part of a broader weekend violence surge, NBC Chicago reported.
Trump said the violence reflected a failure of local leadership to control crime and pointed to prior federal deployments in other cities as evidence that intervention could work.
He said Chicago could be made “a safe city in one month” and referenced Washington, D.C., as an example of improved safety following federal action.
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker (D) has opposed federalizing law enforcement in Chicago, arguing that policing decisions should remain under local control.
Pritzker has cited broader crime data showing declines in homicides and shootings in recent years, even as periodic weekend surges continue to draw national attention, according to The Guardian.
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson condemned the Roseland mass shooting, calling it a “horrific act of violence,” and said emergency support services were deployed to affected neighborhoods.
City officials said outreach teams were sent to assist victims and families in the aftermath of the attacks.
The weekend violence has reignited debate over whether federal intervention, including potential National Guard deployment, should be used to address localized crime spikes.
Trump and his allies have argued such measures could deter organized shootings, while state and city leaders have pushed back, citing legal authority, effectiveness concerns, and local policing autonomy.
Crime data cited in multiple reports shows Chicago continues to record high absolute numbers of shootings compared to other major cities, though long-term trends indicate fluctuations rather than a sustained increase.
Some analysts note that homicide totals have declined from recent peaks, even as certain weekends produce concentrated spikes in violence.
As of the latest reports, no arrests had been announced in at least one of the major mass shooting incidents.
Authorities said investigations remain ongoing across multiple scenes as police continue to review evidence, interview witnesses, and analyze forensic data to identify suspects and determine motives.
The situation remains under active investigation as officials continue responding to multiple shooting scenes across the city, while the political dispute over federal involvement in Chicago law enforcement continues to intensify following the weekend violence.
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