Chicago tightens weekend curfew after teen shot dead

Chicago, May 17

Chicago, the third most populous city in the US, will tighten its weekend curfew for minors after a 16-year-old teenager was shot dead on may 14.

Seandell Holliday was shot dead near "The Bean" in Millennium Park in downtown Chicago, reports Xinhua news agency.

A 17-year-old has been charged as adult with second-degree murder.

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot announced othat the city is restricting evening and night-time access to Millennium Park and will allow minors in the park after 6 p.m. on Thursdays through Sundays only if they're accompanied by an adult, reports Xinhua news agency.

Many young people are looking for space "to hang out" and are tired of being indoors, and that is understandable, The Chicago Tribune quoted Lightfoot as saying on Monday.

But she lamented the large, chaotic scene over the weekend where large crowds of teenagers flooded downtown, stopping traffic and jumping on vehicles.

For that reason, the city is taking steps to prevent "any further tragedies happening", Lightfoot said.

The Mayor noted that the city has had a curfew for minors for many years and she just moved it up from 11 p.m. to 10 p.m.

The decision met with opposition from racial justice advocates and the American Civil Liberties Union, and provoked fierce criticism from residents who said the city was making downtown inhospitable to residents from the South and West sides.

Chicago police said five people were killed and 28 others were injured in 28 separate shootings in the past weekend.