McCarthy issued a statement Friday calling the milestone a "tragic number that is reflective of the gang violence and proliferation of illegal guns that have plagued some of our neighborhoods."
The police department went back and forth Friday, first verifying the 500th killing, then backing off and saying an earlier death was still being investigated.
By late Friday, police confirmed 40-year-old Nathaniel Jackson had become the 500th homicide victim when he was fatally shot in the head outside a convenience store on the city's West Side.
The last time Chicago reached the 500-homicide mark was in 2008, when the year ended with 512 killings. City records show Chicago had 435 homicides last year.
•driving intoxicated
•physical violence
•obtaining firearms
We all want a "silver bullet"(pun intended) to stop gun violence, but all of the above are illegal except firearms and are rampant at all levels of society. Also, guns reach far deeper into the national psyche and history. If you can't stop weed,beer and gangs, how can you possibly stop the gun? Its not only about the 2nd amendment, its about money,security,confidence (or lack of) in government and layer upon layer of personal issues. Creating yet another sub-culture fueled by deprived birthright and billions of dollars will solve what? Look at the lessons of prohibition. It was jet fuel on the fire of organized crime.Society is losing its mind and will continue to eat itself regardless of being told it can't have forks.Will the last person to leave the dining room of common sense please turn off the light? But only if you have a night scope....
This type of behavior permeating our society is a result of generations with no work ethic, no moral compass and no empathy for fellow humans or lessor beings.
Why do I carry a gun, because I will not be a defenseless victim.
Yea, I know it's nonsensical, but I'm southern and therefore my point of view is irrelevant. Once I'm dependent on Obama for my subsistence I'll understand how wrong I was.