CHICAGO, July 9 (Xinhua) -- U.S. third-largest city Chicago has seen at least 1,433 shooting victims so far this year, after four men were killed and 23 others wounded by gunfire over the weekend.
According to gun violence data compiled by Chicago Tribune, 246 people have been killed this year.
Still, gun-related violence in Chicago has declined in comparison with the past two years. This time in 2017, at least 1,945 people had been shot.
Thousands of protesters on Saturday marched onto an expressway on the city's south side, calling for an end to violence.
They briefly shut down the busy expressway, trying to focus a spotlight on crime and poverty plaguing neighborhoods.
Chicago's notorious organized gangs have been splintered into smaller groups that shoot up the city's streets.
Most of the shootings happened on the west and south sides, where many young African-Americans have no jobs, see no hope.
Violence that seems gang-related is often personal, as young men shoot each other over insignificant insults and conflicts, said analysts.
