CHICAGO _ Three people were killed and 15 others were wounded during the first six hours of the year as Chicago ended a year that brought levels of violence that had not been seen in the city since the 1990s.
In total, four people were killed and 24 others were wounded in separate shootings from New Year's Eve to early Sunday.
Two men were killed in the year's first fatal shooting, which took place at early Sunday morning in the city's Uptown neighborhood on the North Side.
A 38-year-old man was shot in the chest and the right leg. A second man, who police believe is 35 to 40 years old, was shot on his right side.
Both men were taken to a hospital where they were later pronounced dead.
Also early Sunday, a 39-year-old man was shot to death in the West Garfield Park neighborhood.
Officers found the man on a sidewalk. He had been shot several times and was pronounced dead at the scene.
The last homicide of 2016 came Saturday afternoon as a 24-year-old man was driving in the South Austin neighborhood. The man was reportedly sideswiped by a Mercedes-Benz. The driver of the Mercedes got out of the vehicle and an argument started, police said.
At some point, the Mercedes driver pulled out a gun and shot the man in the left side. The victim was taken to a hospital where he was pronounced dead, police said.
Saturday, police Superintendent Eddie Johnson said the city put an additional 1,000 more police officers on the streets, including undercover police, for New Year's Eve.
"Basically the message we want to send Chicago is that we've prepared," Johnson said. "We want everybody to celebrate but we want everybody to celebrate responsibly."
