Six people were killed and 39 others were shot across Chicago over the weekend, prompting President Trump to call for federal intervention in the city.
Chicago police confirmed that 13 people were shot in a mass drive-by shooting in the Princeton Park neighborhood Friday night. Two suspects fired from inside an SUV at a crowd of people before fleeing the scene, according to the Chicago Police Department.
“Offenders from inside the vehicle began firing gunshots towards the crowd before fleeing the scene. Multiple victims sustained gunshot wounds and were transported to local hospitals,” the department said in a statement.
Political Response to Violence
Chicago Democratic Mayor Brandon Johnson responded to the shooting on social media, saying he was “heartbroken by the violence in Princeton Park last night.” “What should have been a night of celebration and community reflection for Juneteenth was shattered by a horrific act of violence,” Johnson wrote.
Trump posted on Truth Social that Chicago needed federal help to address crime. “Why isn’t Governor Pritzker calling me for help. I could make Chicago a safe City in ONE MONTH, in ONE YEAR, it would be one of the safest!!!” Trump wrote.
Trump cited his deployment of National Guard troops to Washington, D.C., as evidence of his ability to reduce crime. “D.C. went from one of the worst, to one of the safest cities in the U.S.,” he claimed in his post.
Investigation Into D.C. Crime Statistics
The Trump administration has also focused on allegations of crime data manipulation within Washington, D.C.’s Metropolitan Police Department. At least 13 officials have been terminated or disciplined following an internal investigation into claims that department leaders manipulated statistics to make the city appear safer than it actually was.
Senior police officials allegedly downgraded serious offenses into lesser categories in official reporting systems, according to reports reviewed by the House Oversight Committee. The practice reportedly involved multiple districts and various levels of department leadership.
Second District Commander Tatjana Savoy and former Third District Commander Michael Pulliam, along with at least one police captain and additional supervisory officials, received termination notices. Cmdr. Pulliam had already been suspended after allegations surfaced that violent crimes were intentionally reclassified.
Political Implications of Data Manipulation
The scandal has drawn criticism because city officials and national Democrats repeatedly cited improving crime statistics as evidence of successful public safety efforts. The alleged manipulation focused on reclassifying serious assaults, robberies, and other crimes to keep them out of headline public reports.
District commanders told investigators they felt pressure from leadership to “fix” crime numbers and create what lawmakers described as “the perception of low crime in the District,” according to House Oversight Committee findings.
Critics argue that such practices distort public understanding of crime trends and affect policy decisions and resource allocations. Federal prosecutors reviewing cases from the department have reportedly upgraded certain assault and firearms charges because suspects appeared to have been undercharged by local authorities.
