How Long Is Chicago's No-Murders Streak? It Depends On How You Count The Bodies

CHICAGO, IL — This past week, the city hit a mark it had only reached once since January of 2013: going more than four days without a reported murder. But the length of Chicago's no-killings streak is up for debate, and it hinges on the as-of-yet-undetermined time of death of a body found over the weekend.

Before this weekend, the last reported murder in Chicago was 11 a.m. Feb. 26, when James Morris, 23, was fatally shot sitting in his minivan, the Chicago Sun-Times reports. Despite at least 34 other people being wounded by gunfire last week, six days past without a killing after Morris' shooting, the report added.

But at 12:23 p.m. Saturday, March 4, the body of Antoine Watkins, 22, was found on the West Side. While an autopsy Sunday revealed Watkins — who was reported missing Feb. 8 after last being seen Feb. 3 — had died from multiple gunshot wounds and his death ruled a homicide, when he was fatally shot is unclear, according to the Sun-Times. A police source also told the Sun-Times that Watkins' body appeared to have been in the lot where it was discovered for a while.

RELATED: Chicago's 2017 Murders: Weekend Marks 100 Victims In Just Over 50 Days

That means if Watkins' death happened before Feb. 26, Chicago has gone eight days — and counting — without a homicide.

Whatever the official number of days, the respite in killings has put 2017 slightly behind pace to surpass the number of murders in 2016, more than 750. To date, 102 homicides have been reported in 2017; 111 murders had been committed as of the same date in 2016, according to the Sun-Times.

But the slow down in killings doesn't mean there has been a decline in Chicago's gun violence. Overall shootings have increased over last year, with 550 people being shot so far, 25 more victims than at the same time in 2016, the Chicago Tribune reports.

When it comes to shootings, fatal and non-fatal, Chicago has another streak that's as dismal as its no-murders stretch is optimistic. A shooting has occurred every day in the city for the past two years, and Feb. 28, 2015, marks the last day no one was shot in Chicago, according to the Tribune.

More via the Chicago Sun-Times and the Chicago Tribune

photo via Shutterstock

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