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62 Shot, 14 Killed in Chicago Weekend Violence

US Border Patrol: Crash Killing 7 Resulted From Human Smuggling Attempt in Texas

U.S. Border Patrol officials said a crash in El Paso, Texas, left at least seven people dead, blaming human smugglers for the incident. “Human smuggling is not a victimless crime,” El Paso Sector Border Patrol Chief Patrol Gloria Chavez said in a statement about the incident on June 25. “This is a tragic loss for our El Paso Community.” Three of the victims were illegal immigrants, including one from Guatemala and two from Mexico, the Border Patrol said on Saturday. The other four victims were residents of El Paso, including the 18-year-old driver, according to officials. The incident started on Thursday morning at around 1:30 a.m. when a border sensor sent out an alert about a suspicious vehicle with several passengers, officials told the El Paso Times. The vehicle was…

62 Shot, 14 Killed in Chicago Weekend Violence

Sixty-two people were shot, with 14 killed, in weekend violence in Chicago.

The official count started at 6 p.m. on Friday and went through Sunday at 11:59 p.m., a Chicago Police Department spokeswoman told The Epoch Times.

Forty-nine shooting incidents included 62 shooting victims and 14 murders.

The higher count seen in some news outlets stems from non-police counts that start earlier on Friday, the spokeswoman said.

Police Superintendent David Brown said at a press conference on Monday that officers need help from the community in identifying people who commit the shootings.

“We all need to be outraged over this gun violence,” he said, adding: “We cannot compartmentalize the violence that is tearing families and communities apart.”

He said many offenders are given little to no jail time. They’re then placed on electronic monitoring but “monitored by no one.” Many of the criminals then commit violent acts.

“Someone knows something about the murders. If you have any information, reach out to our detectives. … For the sake of Chicago’s children, come forward with any information you may have that can help us solve these crimes,” Brown said.

Mayor Lori Lightfoot, a Democrat, said in a statement over the weekend: “As a mother, I am tired of the funerals. I am tired of burying our children.”

“It’s on all of us to double down on our all-hands-on-deck public safety efforts with police officers, street outreach teams, trauma support workers, community and faith-based partners. We must ask ourselves: ‘What are we each doing to make this a season of bounty, not tragedy?’” she added.

The previous weekend, or June 19 to June 21, Chicago saw 58 shooting incidents, 78 shooting victims, and 11 murders.

62 Shot, 14 Killed in Chicago Weekend Violence Chicago police officers stand outside City Hall, watching as a caravan of protesters demand that Mayor Lori Lightfoot enact the ordinance for an all-elected Civilian Police Accountability Council, CPAC, on June 17, 2020. (Charles Rex Arbogast/AP Photo)

Illinois’ largest city has been plagued by violence for years.

The city saw 268 murders as of June 14, a 22 percent increase from the same time period last year.

The spate of violence included 104 shootings on Father’s Day weekend, leaving 14 people dead.

Victims shot from June 26 to June 28 included a 10-year-old girl, a 1-year-old boy, and a 17-year-old male.

Local organizers have increasingly called for a focus on gun violence amid a nationwide push against alleged racial injustice.

“It would be an ultimate contradiction to march for justice for George Floyd and not say a word about a 3-year-old who can’t defend himself or speak for himself,” Rev. Ira Acree told reporters earlier this month. “Don’t miss the point. We say black lives matter. Black babies’ lives matter more.”

Tio Hardiman, executive director of Violence Interrupters, said last week that he understands the goals of Black Lives Matter but wants them to include stopping gun violence.

“We need help to do our best to stop gun violence in Chicago. The entire nation should be outraged when a three-year-old is executed on the streets of Chicago and a 13-year-old young young girl was killed on the west side [of] Chicago as well,” he said.

Jack Phillips contributed to this report.

Follow Zachary on Twitter: @zackstieber

Focus News: 62 Shot, 14 Killed in Chicago Weekend Violence

US to Ship Remdesivir to States With Rising COVID-19 Cases

NEW YORK—The U.S. government will ship more of Gilead Sciences Inc’s antiviral treatment remdesivir to states experiencing an increase in COVID-19 cases including California, Texas, Florida, and Arizona, according to the Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) website. The government reallocated remdesivir to states with increasing cases, White House task force coordinator Deborah Birx said during a briefing on Friday. The HHS said on its website that the doses will ship starting Monday and extinguish the full amount of Gilead’s donation of 120,647 treatment courses. It said it would continue to work with Gilead to determine how the company’s anticipated inventory of 2 million doses by year’s end will be allocated. California will receive 464 cases of 40 vials each, Texas will receive 448 cases of 40 vials, Florida…