Kamala Harris heading to Chicago after bloody July 4th holiday weekend


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Vice President Kamala Harris will travel to Chicago on Tuesday in the wake of more than two dozen shootings in the city, seven of which resulted in fatalities.

Harris, according to her office, will make the trip to the Windy City with her husband, Second Gentleman Douglas Emhoff, to deliver remarks at the National Education Association 2022 Annual Meeting and Representative Assembly at the McCormick Convention Center.

While her trip is not related to the surge in gun violence throughout Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s city, Harris’ visit comes on the heels of a deadly weekend in Chicago. Over the July 4th weekend, 54 people were shot and seven of them were killed.

CHICAGO’S BLOODY HOLIDAY WEEKEND CONTINUES: 54 PEOPLE SHOT, 7 DEAD SINCE FRIDAY EVENING

Vice President Kamala Harris speaks onstage during the 2022 Essence Festival of Culture at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center on July 2, 2022 in New Orleans, Louisiana.
(Paras Griffin/Getty Images for Essence)

The weekend kicked off with 22 people shot, four fatally, within the span of 20 hours on Friday. Violent encounters with police also popped up throughout the weekend, with Chicago Police Superintendent David Brown begging parents to take responsibility over their children.

“There’s no reason why everyone can’t enjoy the holiday and every event safely. Parents, please, please know where your children are,” he said. “Don’t leave them to government to be the parents of your kids. We need you, parents, please, to help us make sure your young people are safe.”

A crowd of protesters in Chicago’s Loop attacked police cars with fireworks and blunt objects after authorities responded to reports of cars doing donuts in an intersection.

Victims of the fatal shootings range from a 24-year-old woman who was killed in a crossfire between two gunmen to a 35-year-old man killed in an apparently random attack while sitting in a car.

Bullet casings litter the street as police investigate the scene of a shooting on West Congress Parkway in Chicago, Tuesday, Feb. 22, 2022.

Bullet casings litter the street as police investigate the scene of a shooting on West Congress Parkway in Chicago, Tuesday, Feb. 22, 2022.
(Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service)

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Another 26-year-old man was killed in a drive-by shooting while riding his bike just before 6 p.m. on Friday.

The most recent reported fatality was a man believed to be 25 years old, according to ABC-7. He was killed while walking on the street after vehicle pulled up next to him and a gunman got out.

Several of the victims of non-fatal shootings may die from their injuries in the coming days, including a 90-year-old man who remains in critical condition at Mount Sinai Hospital with a gunshot wound to the abdomen.

The youngest victims of Chicago’s shootings was a 10-year-old boy, who was wounded in his bedroom after at least one gunman opened fire on his home. The boy is in the hospital and in good condition, according to ABC.

Chicago's Mayor Lori Lightfoot speaks during a science initiative event at the University of Chicago in Chicago, Illinois, U.S. July 23, 2020.

Chicago’s Mayor Lori Lightfoot speaks during a science initiative event at the University of Chicago in Chicago, Illinois, U.S. July 23, 2020.
(REUTERS/Kamil Krzaczynski)

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Harris’ trip to the city also follows a July 4th parade shooting in Highland Park, Illinois, that reportedly left at least 6 dead and 24 injured.

Fox News Digital did not receive an immediate response from Harris’ office on her trip and the recent gun violence.

Fox News’ Anders Hagstrom contributed to this article.



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