Carjackings during 2020 rose to more than double what was witnessed during 2019 in Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s (D) Chicago.
The Chicago Tribune reported carjackings surged 135 percent, with 1,415 carjackings in 2020 versus 603 in 2019.
The report noted that police indicate mask mandates played a role in the higher carjackings, suggesting the wearing of masks for coronavirus “[enables] criminals to conceal their faces without raising alarm.”
On December 3, 2020, retired Chicago firefighter Dwain Williams was shot and killed while trying to stop suspects from carjacking his vehicle. The Daily Mail reported 65-year-old Williams was trying to prevent his Jeep Cherokee from being stolen when he was shot in the abdomen. Four suspects fled the scene, at least three of whom have since been apprehended.
Expressway shootings were also up in 2020, as compared to 2019. On December 7, 2020, NBC 5 indicated that the number of expressway shootings in Chicago had reached 115, whereas there were a total of 52 expressway shootings in Chicago in 2019.
Shootings in general were up in Mayor Lightfoot’s Chicago as well, with over 4,100 people shot during 2020. The Tribune noted 4,115 people were shot January 1, 2020, through December 27, 2020, which was 1,412 more than in 2019.
AWR Hawkins is an award-winning Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and the writer/curator of Down Range with AWR Hawkins, a weekly newsletter focused on all things Second Amendment, also for Breitbart News. He is the political analyst for Armed American Radio. Follow him on Twitter: @AWRHawkins. Reach him at awrhawkins@breitbart.com. You can sign up to get Down Range at breitbart.com/downrange.