Chicago US attorney creates Violent Crimes section to focus on city's gun violence
The Chicago U.S. attorney’s office Monday announced that the agency created a new Violent Crimes section, reportedly in response to the city’s gun violence.
Sixteen prosecutors from the office’s Narcotics and Gangs section will go to the Violent Crimes Section, the Chicago Tribune reports. They will use drug and gun statutes as well as extortion and money-laundering laws to prosecute groups responsible for violent acts, according to the article.
Over the past weekend, 45 people were shot in Chicago, and nine of those people were killed, the Chicago Tribune reports. Five children were wounded in one weekend incident.
Ron DeWald, a former Cook County prosecutor, was the assistant U.S. attorney tapped to head the Violent Crimes section.
“This is putting a group of talented attorneys together and telling them that their mission is to help the city and the district tamp down violent crime…and to use all the tools and strategies at their disposal that are going accomplish that mission,” said Randall Samborn, a spokesman for Northern District of Illinois U.S. attorney Zachary Fardon.
Fardon was confirmed as U.S. attorney in October, Main Justice reports. He replaced Patrick Fitzgerald, who left the agency in 2012.
The agency also created new teams focusing on cybercrime and securities fraud.
