A weekend of violence ended in 11 deaths and at least 70 other people wounded in one of Chicago's most deadly weekends ever.

This weekend even surpassed the usually violent Memorial Day weekend, which this year saw seven people killed and 32 wounded in outbreaks of violence.

Police say the first weekend in August peaked in the early morning hours Sunday with a shooting on the city's South Side where eight people were hit with gunfire.

Police say the shootings were mainly gang violence.

Gang members are using large summer crowds as cover in some cases, police Patrol Chief Fred Waller said Sunday.



"They take advantage of that opportunity and they shoot into a crowd, no matter who they hit," said Waller.

Overall, police report violent crime has declined in Chicago.

The city reported fewer homicides in 2017 totaling 650 versus 771 in 2016. However, those numbers still beat the combined totals for New York City and Los Angeles – both larger cities than Chicago.

Pastor Dimas Salaberrios is from New York but he's in Chicago working to help end the violence. He posted Monday, "Fighting the homicides in Chicago. #AmericasHiddenWar."

He's been there much of the summer to help lead and participate in faith efforts to see an end to the violence. In July he actually met with gang members and other leaders in an effort to make neighborhoods "violence-free."

He's fasting and praying over the city to see fruit from the recent outreach event Chicago, Jesus Summer.

CBN News' Charlene Aaron attended Chicago's Jesus Summer and will have a MUST SEE report on The 700 Club Thursday, August 16. Be sure to watch as she was on the ground with the movement in the midst of all the violence.

One woman, Kathy Lebron, posted on his page, "Standing with you and believing that God's presence will infiltrate the city, change hearts, and bring revival!"

"The enemy is angry, but the gates of hell cannot prevail against the power and presence of God!!!!" she concluded.

"My dependency on Christ is growing. The image of His holiness is clearer. The love of humility saturates my thinking. Jesus has placed a love in my heart for the young men walking in Chicago with fear and guilt because of the atrocities they have committed," Slaberrios posted on Facebook about the heart God's given him for the young men committing the crimes.