Chicago gunfire leaves 9 dead, dozens injured

Police blame spate of violence on 'too many guns, too many gangs'

Video

Shooting epidemic in Chicago
April 21: Police say that at least seven of the more than 30 shootings over the weekend were done by juveniles. NBC's Kevin Tibbles reports.

Nightly News

Video: Crime & courts

More video

Defense on the attack
During Oliver O'Quinn's defense for murder, his lawyers said mistakes were made in the crime lab. Who would the jury believe?

Revelations from crime lab

A global game of hide and seek

Roommate was secretive

Unnatural causes or an unnatural act?

updated 12:14 a.m. ET April 22, 2008

CHICAGO - An outburst of gunfire rattled the city during the weekend, with at least nine people killed in 36 separate acts of violence.

The shootings were reported from Friday until Monday morning, police spokeswoman Monique Bond said Monday. They included gang shootings, drive-by attacks, and even one case in which someone used an AK-47 to shoot up a plumbing supply store.

Then on Monday evening, a man was shot to death and three other people were wounded in a robbery attempt at a McDonald's, police said.

Story continues below ↓

Authorities did not immediately say whether any of the weekend shootings were thought to be related.

Police Superintendent Jody Weis blamed an excess of guns and gangs.

"There are just too many weapons here," Weis said Sunday. "Too many guns, too many gangs."

During the same weekend last year, there were 19 shootings, including four homicides, and 21 shootings were reported during the same weekend in 2006, police statistics show.

New police data released Saturday showed Chicago's murder rate for March was down about 1 percent from March 2007.