45 killed in April shootings, Chicago police say
CHICAGO (WLS) -- The Chicago Police Department released crime statistics for the month of April on Monday, with 45 people killed in shootings.
Police said crime stats for the year-to-date are down, but the numbers for just the month of April paint a different picture.
This past April, 45 people were killed in shootings, nine more than in April 2016.
There were 247 separate shooting incidents, only a few shy of last year's tally of 253. Police said 308 people were shot last month, down slightly from the same period last year when 311 were shot.
In the department's news release Monday, they're spinning it a little differently. For the year-to-date, police said shootings are down 13 percent and there are nine percent fewer shooting victims.
CPD said it's using its new crime tip submission site, CPDTip.com, to partner with the community in preventing crime, not just to act as an enforcer. Some are skeptical of the new tool because they're concerned about keeping anonymity.
"No, it is totally anonymous. You know, we will only contact you if you want that, if you put that information in there. Once you text us something, that's all we get and we operate off of the information that you provide for us," Superintendent Eddie Johnson said.
Johnson said the department has made a gun arrest because of that tip line. That gives him hope things are moving in the right direction.
On his health, Johnson said he is doing well and there are a few potential kidney donors, including his son.
