Chicago tightens weekend curfew on minors following teenager's shooting death

CHICAGO, May 16 (Xinhua) -- Chicago, the third most populous city in the United States, will tighten its weekend curfew for minors after a 16-year-old boy was shot and killed Saturday evening, Chicago Tribune reported Monday.

Seandell Holliday, 16, was shot and killed near "The Bean" in Millennium Park in downtown Chicago just before 7:30 p.m. Saturday. A 17-year-old has been charged as adult with second-degree murder.

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot announced on Sunday that the city is restricting evening and nighttime 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.

Many young people are looking for space "to hang out" and are tired of being indoors, and that is understandable, the local newspaper 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. 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.

As summer comes, violence and crime are increasing in Chicago. Chicago police said five people were killed and 28 others were injured in 28 separate shootings in the past weekend.