Twelve people have been shot dead and 59 others injured in Chicago in a horror weekend with authorities describing the streets as a 'war zone'.

The bloodiest spate of shootings occurred in just a two-hour stretch in the early hours on Sunday, when 30 people were shot between midnight and 3am. Police reported at least 16 separate shooting incidents - with multiple victims at almost all of them.

There were so many trauma victims at Stroger Hospital on Sunday morning that their family and visitors were barred from entering.

Paramedics described the city as a 'war zone', while police said it as being one of the most violent weekends of late.

Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson said in a Monday press conference that more needs to be done to hold to hold gunman to account.

'It is the same people who are pulling the triggers in some of these communities. This isn't a widespread issue among citizens of the city. This is a small subset of individuals who think they can play by their own rules because they continue to get a slap on the wrist when we arrest them,' Johnson said.

So far, no arrests have been made.

Jahnae Patterson, 17 (left) and Kenny Ivory, 17, (right) were among the 11 fatalities over the weekend

Nicholas Cox, 23, of the 2700 block of South Dearborn Street, died in hospital at around 8.26pm Sunday, after being shot in the abdomen and buttocks

Jahnae Patterson, 17, Kenny Ivory, 17, Nicholas Cox, 23, and Ron L. Johnson, 50, were among the 11 fatalities over the weekend.

Patterson had been standing on the side walk on the 1300 block of South Millard Avenue in Lawndale, on the Southwest Side, with a group of people when two men walked up to them and opened fire at around 2.35am Sunday.

Patterson was shot in the face and died at the scene. Five other people were injured, including an 11-year-old boy and 14-year-old boy who were both shot in the leg.

A 21-year-old woman was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital in critical condition with a gunshot wound to her back and arm, while another 17-year-old girl was shot in her arm. A 17-year-old boy, suffered a gunshot wound to his leg and was taken hospital.

Ivory was shot and killed as he rode his bike on the South Side on Sunday afternoon.

Police say the teen had got into an argument with another group of men who were on their bikes at around 4.15pm on the 7600 block of South Union Avenue in the Gresham neighborhood. He was rushed to hospital but died a short time after his arrival.

Ivory was shot and killed as he rode his bike on the South Side on Sunday afternoon. Pictured is the cordoned off scene of his fatal shooting

Two women cry outside the Stroger Hospital in Chicago where they were so overwhelmed with shooting victims over the weekend, that family and friends were asked to leave

A man wipes his eyes outside the Stroger Hospital in Chicago, after leaving the emergency room due to overwhelming crowds of family and friends of shooting victims on Sunday

Evidence markers sit on the ground at the scene where a boy was killed after being shot in the abdomen while riding his bike in Chicago

Twelve people were killed and 59 injured in a spate of mass shootings spread across the city between 5pm Friday and 5am Monday. Pictured are 16 separate shooting locations where shootings occurred over the weekend. Multiple people were injured or killed in almost every attack

TIMELINE OF CHICAGO'S BLOODY WEEKEND FRIDAY 5PM: Three shootings occurred across the city, none of which were fatal, after 5pm that evening. Police say they are releasing further details shortly. SATURDAY 11AM: A 38-year-old man was shot in the Chicago Lawn neighborhood. 12PM: Two men in their 40s and 50s were injured when they were caught in the crossfire of bullets between two people shooting at each other from opposite sides of the street. The man in his 50s was later pronounced dead at the hospital. 1.30PM-5.30PM: Three men, aged 25, 26 and 22, were shot in separate incidents throughout Chicago. Another eight people were injured in shootings before the end of the day on Saturday. SUNDAY 12.02AM: Two gunman got out of a car and shot four people at a block party in the 1600-block of South Avers Avenue. 12.40AM: Eight people were injured, including a 14-year-old girl, in the South Side’s Gresham neighborhood when someone fired on a group who had gathered in a courtyard in the 1300 block of West 76th Street, after attending a funeral repass. Police report that the group had were approached by several males who opened fire. 2.35AM: Jahnae Patterson, 17, was shot dead. The teen had been standing on the sidewalk on the 1300 block of South Millard Avenue in Lawndale, on the Southwest Side, with a group of people when two men walked up to them and opened fire. Five other people were injured, including an 11-year-old boy and 14-year-old boy who were both shot in the leg. 4AM: A 19-year-old was shot in the back of the head and pronounced dead in the 1600-block of North LeClaire Avenue in North Austin neighborhood. Three others were injured and hospitalized in the attack. 6.50AM: A 32-year-old man was shot four times and killed, and four others wounded in a shooting in the first block of North Leclaire Avenue in the South Austin neighborhood. A 30-year-old man, who was shot in the back of the head, is in critical condition. The others are stable or have been released/. 12.05PM: A 31-year-old woman was shot in the thigh while she was on the sidewalk in the 700 block of East 93rd Street, in the Burnside neighborhood on the Far South Side by two males. She was stabilized at University of Chicago Medical Center. 1PM: A 62-year-old was shot in the arm and the head after he was approached by a man, while parking his car in the 4500 block of West North Avenue in the Hermosa neighborhood on the Northwest Side, who demanded money. When he refused, he was shot. He was taken to hospital in a stable condition. 4.14PM: Kenny Ivory, 17, was shot and killed while he rode his bike on the 7600 block of South Union Avenue in the Gresham neighborhood, after getting into an argument with a group of men also on bikes. He died in hospital 30 minutes later. 7.50PM: Three people are shot, one fatally, in the 2700 block of South Dearborn Street in Ickes Praire Homes neighborhood on the South Side. They were standing in front of a property when a gunman got out of a white vehicle and opened fire. Nicholas Cox, 23, was shot in the abdomen and buttocks and died in hospital at 8.26pm. Two women were shot in the leg. 11.40PM: 19-year-old man, fleeing gunman, is shot in the arm after 24 hour laundromat staff in the 3900 block of South Archer Avenue in the Brighton Park neighborhood, lock the doors and refuse to let him. He took himself to hospital where he received treatment. 11.40PM: A 26-year-old man accidentally shot himself in the leg in the 100 block of West 33rd Street in the South Side’s Bronzeville neighborhood. MONDAY 12.00am: Ron L. Johnson was killed and a 55-year-old woman was wounded when they were shot by someone in a ski mask just after midnight near Johnson's home in the 13000 block of South Drexel Avenue, in the Altgeld Gardens neighborhood on the Far South Side. He was pronounced dead on scene at 12.50am. 12.30AM: A 25-year-old man was shot multiple times in a drive-by shooting, as he stood on the sidewalk in the 4100 block of West Adams Street, in the West Garfield Park neighborhood on the West Side. He is recovering in hospital. 2.25AM: Three people were shot and injured by someone in a black ski mask and hooded sweatshirt. The group were stood by a vehicle in the 4300 block of South Wentworth Avenue, in the Fuller Park neighborhood on the South Side, when a gunman opened fire. A man, 32, was shot twice in the arm, a 33-year-old man was shot in the hip and a 26-year-old man was grazed in the hand and thigh. They were all taken to hospital and stabilized. Advertisement

Cox, of the 2700 block of South Dearborn Street, died in hospital at around 8.26pm Sunday, after being shot in the abdomen and buttocks.

Johnson was shot dead and a 55-year-old woman was wounded in the early hours of Monday morning, when a gunman in a ski mask shot them in the 13000 block of South Drexel Avenue, in Altgeld Gardens, on the Far South Side, where Johnson lived.

Johnson, who was shot in the head, was pronounced dead at the scene at 12.50am, the Chicago Tribune reports.

Shooters reportedly targeted outdoor gatherings, a block party and even a funeral over the weekend.

Witnesses described terrifying scenes outside a 24 hour laundromat as a 19-year-old boy ran to find sanctuary at the store as someone shot at him - only to find an employee had locked the door.

The teen said he'd been walking to a gas station at 11.40pm Sunday when someone began shooting at him. He fled to the laundromat, in the 3900 block of South Archer Avenue in the Brighton Park neighborhood, where customers and staff screamed and took cover.

When he couldn't get in, he fled and ran to hospital for treatment for a gunshot wound to his arm.

Miguel Patino had been one of around two dozen patrons doing their laundry at the time.

'The kids were freaking out,' he said, adding that he'd often hear gunshots at night while walking his dog. 'They were screaming and crying.'

Patterson's mother Tanika Humphries was devastated to lose her first born

Crystal Robinson revealed that her son was among the 59 injured over the weekend, as she urged people to 'put the guns down Chicago!'

'The Worst phone call u can EVER get is that ur son has been Shot!!!' she wrote on Facebook.

'Thank Everyone for All the phone calls and text it has been a long morning for me and my family but my son is ok!!!! We Stay Prayed Up!'

Another early Sunday morning shooting, this time in the Gresham neighborhood, left eight people injured, including four teenage girls, as they stood in a courtyard in the 1300 block of West 76th Street. Police report that the group had were approached by several males who opened fire.

Two girls, aged 14 and 19, were shot in their hands, a 17-year-old was shot in the knee, and another 17-year-old was struck in the leg.

Two male teens, a 21-year-old woman and 35-year-old man were also rushed to hospital. They are all described as being in a stable condition.

The high number of shootings made it difficult for both police and medical staff to keep track. At one point, police said Stroger Hospital had been placed on trauma lockdown, ABC7 reports.

The hospital, however, denied this but acknowledged the 'unusually high volume of patients' over a 24-hour period.

Meanwhile family and friends have been paying tribute to the victims of the bloody weekend.

Patterson's mother Tanika Humphries was devastated to lose her first born.

'How an I suppose to live like this?' she asked on social media, 'Y'all took my baby. Lord Jesus this shooting need to stop. Pray for our city. My baby is gone.

'Baby girl imma miss you. Rip baby see you when i get there.'

The spate of deadly shootings took place across multiple Chicago neighborhoods mostly on the West and South sides, from 5pm on Friday to 5am Monday

Detectives investigate a shooting where multiple people were shot on a sidewalk on Sunday in Chicago

A bystander watches as Chicago Police officers and detectives investigate one of several shootings on Chicago's South and West sides over the weekend

A friend of the teen, Tanya Denise, wrote on Facebook: 'This girl was trying to live her best life and y'all just gone shorting it. This just so sad.'

'She use to be my next door neighbor, so sad,' added Shaton Se'derous.

Chicago Police Chief of Patrol Fred Waller said during a Sunday press conference that most of the shootings were being traced back to gangs.

'We know that some of these incidents were targeted and are related to gang conflicts in those areas,' Waller said.

He went on to express frustration that gang members do not fear the consequences and that they were taking advantage of large summer crowds to seek revenge.

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

'I promise this city, we won't be defeated. We won't be overrun by that small element that's committing these reckless acts.'

Police said in some of the cases shooters sprayed bullets indiscriminately into crowds in rival territories. The Tribune counted a total of more than 70 people shot between Friday evening and early Monday morning.

The weekend violence stood in contrast to a general decline in crimes in the city where shootings are down 30 percent and murders down 25 percent, according to police.

Bystanders watch on as police continue to investigate the spate of shootings in various neighborhoods

Nevertheless, Chicago's official murder count, at 310 killings before the weekend, was the highest in the country and far eclipsed those of America's two largest cities -- New York and Los Angeles.

'Incidents of either random or targeted shootings on our streets are totally unacceptable,' said Fred Waller, a Chicago Police Department commander.

Violence in the Midwestern city often spikes in the summer months, when the warm weather means more people are outside. Waller said there were a number of outdoor events over the weekend that were vulnerable to gang-related revenge attacks.

'What we have are multiple areas with crowds,' Waller said. 'They take advantage of that opportunity.'

The latest spasm of bloodshed occurred at the same time as the famed Lollapalooza music festival was taking over a large swath of the city's downtown, requiring a heavy police presence.

The festival was not affected by the violence, Waller said. The shootings surged in the early morning hours, well after the end of the festival's daily schedule of performances.

Chicago's gun violence has been the subject of two high-profile protests this summer, in which demonstrators temporarily blocked major expressways to call attention to their demands for more investment in poor communities.

Federal authorities have increased their efforts in the city, creating a special task force in cooperation with local police to target those who repeatedly commit gun crimes.

Police have also taken over 5,500 guns off the streets this year as part of a new initiative to stem the flow of illegal firearms in the city to curb gun violence.

Police have said violent crime has declined overall in Chicago but there has still been more than 1,700 shootings this year alone.

Chicago ended 2017 with fewer homicides, 650, than 2016, when there were 771. Although the drop was significant, it exceeded the combined number of killings in New York City and Los Angeles, which are the two US cities bigger than Chicago.

Chicago Police officers and detectives investigate a shooting where multiple people were shot on Sunday, August 5, 2018 in Chicago, Illinois

Chicago's gun violence has drawn widespread attention, including from Donald Trump and his lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, who blamed the problem on Chicago's long-time 'Democratic rule' in a series of tweets on Sunday and Monday.

'63 murders this weekend in Rahm Emmanuel’s Chicago,' he tweeted, incorrectly. 'His legacy more murders in his city than ever before. It’s only because of Democrat brain washing that he has even a chance of remaining '

President Trump said last year he was sending in federal help to fight the gun violence in the city because it had reached 'epidemic proportions'.

The former New York City mayor also tweeted his support for Chicago's former superintendent, Garry McCarthy, referring to him as 'Jerry' and calling him a 'policing genius'.

McCarthy announced this year that he plans to run for mayor next February against Democratic Mayor Rahm Emanuel, who fired Mr McCarthy in 2015 after the release of dashcam video showing a white police officer shooting a black teenager 16 times.

Misspelling Mr Emanuel's last name, Giuliani tweeted: 'He can do a lot better than Mayor Emmanuel who is fiddling while Chicago burns.'

Chicago has some of the nation's strictest gun laws, but the city still recovers more firearms each year than any other place in the nation.

However, the 60 percent of firearms used in violent crimes in Illinois come from out-of-state, mostly from Indiana, which has far more lenient gun laws.



