President Donald Trump criticized Illinois leaders Sunday after a violent weekend left at least six people dead and 39 others wounded in shootings across Chicago, including a mass drive-by that injured more than a dozen people during a Juneteenth gathering.
Chicago police reported that two suspects opened fire from an SUV on a crowd in the Princeton Park neighborhood on the city’s South Side late Friday night. Officers responded near West 95th Street and South Wentworth Avenue after callers reported gunfire. Multiple victims were taken to area hospitals with gunshot wounds. Police said the offenders fled the scene, and the investigation continues. Victims ranged in age from teenagers to middle-aged adults.
Citywide, Chicago police tallied roughly two dozen shooting incidents from Friday evening through Sunday, resulting in the six fatalities and dozens of injuries. Preliminary numbers released earlier in the weekend were lower; compiled figures later confirmed the higher toll.
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson issued a statement on X expressing sorrow over the Princeton Park attack. “I am 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. My thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their loved ones,” Johnson wrote. He thanked first responders and noted community violence intervention workers were active in the area.
Trump responded on Truth Social, writing: “Lots of Killing going on in Chicago. 22 people shot, at least 4 Dead. 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!!! D.C. went from one of the worst, to one of the safest cities in the U.S. President DJT.” Later updates from police pushed the shooting victim count higher than Trump’s initial figures.
The president has repeatedly offered federal assistance, including National Guard support, to address crime in major cities. Last year his administration deployed hundreds of Guard troops to Washington, D.C., as part of an effort to reduce violence in the capital. Trump has cited subsequent declines in certain reported crime categories as evidence of success.
That claim has drawn renewed scrutiny amid revelations about how the Metropolitan Police Department tracked crime data. An internal affairs investigation found that senior MPD officials allegedly reclassified serious offenses— including assaults with dangerous weapons, robberies, and some shootings—into lesser categories that reduced the number of violent crimes reflected in public statistics. The probe determined the practice was more widespread than initially believed and involved multiple districts and layers of leadership.
At least 13 officials, including Second District Commander Tatjana Savoy and former Third District Commander Michael Pulliam, received termination notices or faced discipline. Pulliam had previously been suspended after similar allegations. Investigators concluded that commanders felt pressure from leadership to “fix” crime numbers and create a perception of lower crime. A captain and additional supervisory personnel were also implicated.
The scandal has political resonance because city officials and national Democrats had pointed to the official statistics as proof that public safety was improving, even as residents continued to report concerns about carjackings, robberies, and assaults. A House Oversight Committee report earlier described a culture in which district commanders believed they were expected to lower reported figures. Federal prosecutors under U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro have reviewed cases and, in some instances, upgraded assault and firearms charges after determining local authorities had undercharged suspects.
Chicago police said all weekend shootings remain under investigation. Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker has previously rejected Trump’s offers of military-style federal intervention, arguing that local and existing federal partnerships with the FBI, DEA, and ATF are the appropriate path. The weekend violence and competing narratives about crime trends in Chicago and Washington underscore ongoing national debates over policing strategies, data integrity, and the role of federal resources in urban public safety.
