Rudy Giuliani slammed Chicago leadership, saying a surge of shootings over the weekend is a “direct result of one party Democratic rule for decades.”
The former New York City mayor and President Donald Trump’s current lawyer was referring to reports that at least 74 people were shot in Chicago between Friday afternoon and Monday morning. According to the Chicago Tribune, the shootings resulted in 63 people wounded and 11 killed. The shootings occurred mostly in the South and West sides, with some appearing random while others resulting from gang violence, reports ABC7 Chicago.
Giuliani cited the murders as an endorsement for former policeman Garry McCarthy for mayor, who Giuliani says can lower the city’s homicide rate. In two Twitter posts, Giuliani misspelled McCarthy’s name as “Jerry,” but corrected the mistake in a later tweet.
Giuliani also attacked current Mayor Rahm Emmanuel for the violence, saying his legacy is “more murders in his city than ever before.” Giuliani falsely stated that there were “63 murders” in Chicago this weekend, despite the reports that 63 were wounded and 11 killed.
“It’s only because of Democrat brain washing that he has even a chance of remaining,” Giuliani continued, “Support police professional Garry McCarthy.”
The Tribune reports there have been 300 homicides in Chicago so far this year. In a press conference Monday morning, Fred Waller, Chicago police chief of patrol, said this weekend’s violence was due to gang members who shot into large crowds, including a block party and a funeral.
“They take advantage of that opportunity and they shoot into a crowd, no matter who they hit,” Waller said, according to Tribune.
Chicago had its bloodiest year on record just two years ago, when annual data reported 762 homicides and more than 3,500 shootings for 2016. The report prompted Trump to threaten to “send in the Feds” if the violence wasn’t quelled.
