CHICAGO — With less than two days to go in August, the City of Chicago has seen 78 homicides and 400 shooting victims this month, making it “the most violent month in the city in almost 20 years,” reports the Chicago Tribune.

The paper reports that the last time the city experienced a deadlier month was October 1997, when 79 people were murdered.

Nykea Aldridge. Provided to WBBM-TV

The August spike comes as the city is grappling with a particularly violent year, recording 487 homicides ”and more than 2,800 people shot so far this year, compared to 491 homicides and 2,988 people shot all of last year, according to Tribune data.”

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The paper points out that although Chicago has a lower homicide rate than many small cities, it has experienced more murders and shootings this year than New York City and Los Angeles combined.

The violence in Chicago drew national attention again this weekend, after the shooting death of Nykea Aldridge, who was gunned down Friday on her way to register her children for school. Aldridge is the cousin of NBA star Dwyane Wade.

Chicago police arrested two brothers and charged them with first-degree murder in the case, which prompted calls from the city’s mayor and police superintendent for stricter gun sentencing laws​.