Chicago Police Supt. David Brown on Monday provided an update on violent crime in the city and asked for the public's help in identifying a duo wanted in 8 armed robberies, including one that left a 23-year-old man in critical condition after being shot multiple times.
"I don't want to go too deep into the investigation and exactly what the detectives are doing," Supt. Brown said during a press conference, "but we definitely need help. And I have no doubt that there are people out there that they know exactly who these offenders are. And we just we need that information."
Brown also said that the department will look to scale up resources in areas and specific blocks that are seeing an increase in violent crime.
"We still need to add more resources to our downtown to our CTA as well as to all of our city" Brown said, as the summer months approach. "So, more to come as it relates to adding more and more resources."
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However, Brown said, this will be done at the expense of officer schedules.
"This will call for our adjustments to our schedule for officers, and its not done lightly. Schedule is something we are really concerned about."
Brown said the department isn't asking officers to cancel vacations, but that they may ask officer to work on one of their two regularly scheduled days off during the week.
Local
The press conference comes as carjackings and violent crime continues to increase in areas of the city -- including River North, Lincoln Park and The Loop -- that haven't typically seen a high volume of violent crime in the past.
The Loop
May 3, in the 400 block of S. Wells, Chicago police say just after 1:30 a.m. three people were sitting inside a blue Dodge Durango at a red light when two unknown males fired shots from the sidewalk.
A female, 26, who happened to be crossing the street at the time, was also struck in the leg by the gunfire.
According to police, inside the vehicle, a 38-year-old male inside the vehicle suffered a gun shot wound to the back, a 28-year-old female suffered a gun shot wound to the leg, and a 31-year-old male also suffered a gun shot wound to the leg.
So far this year in the Loop, carjackings have more than doubled, while robberies are up 177%.
River North
May 6, at 9:53 p.m., a 38-year-old man was driving eastbound on the 100 block of W. Chicago Ave. when a brown sedan approached the vehicle, police say.
According to police, unknown offender then began firing shots into the man's vehicle from the passenger side. The victim sustained a gunshot wounds to the abdomen, groin and right thigh.
Last month, following a shooting outside a River North business and a man shot inside a River North hotel room during an armed robbery, the Cook County Sherriff announced that the neighborhood will have a new Sheriff's Office command post, and an increased presence of Sheriff's Police in the area.
Lincoln Park
May 6, a 23-year-old man was discovered with multiple gunshot wounds in the 1300 block of West Webster after being robbed and held up at gunpoint just after 3 a.m., police said.
The man, a culinary student, remains in the hospital in critical condition.
Lincoln Square
May 8, police issued a neighborhood community alert about recent sexual assaults after 3 women reported being attacked over a period of less than 30 days. At least one of the women reported being attacked in broad daylight, and officials say it appears the same person committed each assault.
