The number of shootings in Chicago is decreasing, but the number of domestic violence cases is increasing

Chicago is expected to end 2023 with a double-digit decline in shootings and homicides, a sign that the pandemic-era rise in gun violence is starting to slow. But citywide data shows that a small share of shootings in Chicago — involving domestic violence — have increased this year, a spike that is sparking new alarm among victims’ advocates.

As 2023 draws to a close, shootings that Chicago authorities consider domestic in nature have increased 19 percent compared to last year, according to the city. facts. While the number of fatal shootings domestically is unchanged from 2022, non-fatal shootings are up 27 percent.

These shootings – 127, as of this week – include a wide range of situations classified as domestic that often occur in the home. This includes violence against women at the hands of partners; a woman who shoots her abusive partner in self-defense; and a man shooting a cousin during an argument.

Only a small fraction of the more than 2,800 people shot in Chicago in 2023 were found to be victims of domestic violence, but domestic shootings have been a concern because of their growing numbers.

Domestic violence experts say the reasons behind the increase are murky and could reflect a number of factors: Gun ownership has risen since the pandemic began, especially in 2020, when applications for gun ownership permits in Illinois jumped 56 percent compared to the previous year.

“From our perspective, ease of access to firearms has increased during the pandemic, and it is likely access to firearms that has fueled this type of violence during the pandemic,” said Amanda Pyron, executive director of Network, an advocacy group in Chicago. “That will continue.”

Attorneys representing victims of domestic violence also pointed to an observable — though difficult to quantify — change in tension, stress and violence that has taken hold in the United States since the pandemic.

“It feels like there has been a societal shift in the level of anger, violence and threats,” said Margaret Duval, executive director of Ascend Justice, a nonprofit that provides legal advocacy for victims of domestic violence. “We think about road rage and flight anger and all these things. It can also occur in homes.”

The rising cost of housing could also deter some victims of domestic violence from leaving a dangerous situation, advocates who work with victims say.

“Housing is probably the most important need for our clients,” says Jennifer Greene, director of policy and advocacy for Life Span, an organization that provides legal services and counseling to victims of domestic violence. “Affordable housing does not exist. When I’m trying to escape an abusive relationship and I have nowhere to go that’s safe, that’s a huge motivator to stay.”

Advocates are also concerned that many victims of domestic violence, usually women, may not contact police when threatened.

Darci Flynn, a consultant who until September was director of gender-based violence strategy and policy for the city of Chicago, said she has seen the phenomenon take place this year.

When Ms. Flynn worked in city government, she said, she regularly met with a senior police official to discuss every domestic violence-related shooting in the city, whether it resulted in injury or death.

In many of these cases, she said, there was no evidence that the victim had previously called 911 for help or sought a protective order from the court.

“People aren’t reaching out,” she said.

In Chicago this year, at least one high-profile domestic homicide case highlighted a lack of communication between law enforcement agencies and the justice system. In July, Karina Gonzalez, a 48-year-old Chicago resident, was shot to death along with her 15-year-old daughter by her husband, Jose Alvarez, prosecutors said. saideven after she obtained a protective order against him weeks earlier.

The identification card of the owner of Mr. Alvarez’s firearm — a permit required to own a gun in Illinois — had been revoked, but sheriff’s deputies failed to seize his gun and charge him a protection order granted by a judge. Mr. Alvarez has pleaded not guilty.

“All murders are tragic, but these are so predictable,” Ms. Duval said. “How many situations are there where the victim knows she is at risk, does everything possible to avoid the risk, can identify the source of the risk and we still can’t stop it?”

A bill named after Ms. Gonzalez that would tighten gun restrictions on abusers gained support in the Illinois Legislature, but stuck in November. It is expected that this will be reconsidered in the spring.

Mayor Brandon Johnson, who took office in May, has pledged to increase the number of domestic violence advocate positions in the Chicago Police Department. These staff members assist victims with safety plans, find housing and protective orders, and accompany victims to court.

Aileen Robinson, the assistant director of crime victim services at the Chicago Police Department, said it was not clear what was causing the increase in domestic shootings. But she said many victims of violence at home may not know what resources they have available, and many are hesitant to contact police.

There is still a stigma surrounding violence that happens in the home, she added, and people who are not part of the family may refuse to become involved.

“We still live in a community that doesn’t always recognize domestic violence,” she said. “We do not have sufficient resources if someone finds themselves in a dangerous situation and has to flee. And we still have a value system where you stay in it and stay with it.”

Mr. Johnson has faced a series of crises this year, including a surge of migrants seeking shelter in Chicago that has strained the city’s resources, and crimes beyond shootings that have alarmed residents, including a major spike in robberies and car thefts across the city.

In 2023, more than 28,000 car thefts occurred in Chicago, an increase of 40 percent compared to 2022. The number of robberies increased by 23 percent, to more than 10,600 incidents in 2023.