Aug. 6 (UPI) -- The death toll from this weekend's violence in Chicago has risen to 12.
More than 65 people were shot and at least 12 people have died in a weekend of violence police say was caused by random -- and some targeted -- gang-related activity.
The city, which at the end of July, had recorded more than 300 homicides, has struggled to reduce homicide rates in recent years even as national rates have fallen. Police said the violence disproportionately impacts low-income minority neighborhoods on the city's West and South sides.
Before the weekend, the city's homicides were down 23 percent compared to the same point last year and shootings were down 19 percent.
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Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson said at a press conference Monday that overall gun violence is still down this year, but "there's a lot more work to do," and "we need to come to the table with less talk and more action."
Johnson said there are some leads, but no arrests had been made.
"We have a heavy heart," Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel said at the press conference. "Our souls are burdened. What happened this weekend didn't happen in every neighborhood of Chicago, but it is unacceptable to happen in any neighborhood of Chicago. We are a better city."
Most of the shootings occurred between midnight Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday, at a targeted block party, a funeral and other gatherings.
In one attack, victims ranged in age from 14 to 35.
"There is a shortage of values about what is right, what is wrong," Emanuel told USA Today. "We as a city in every corner have an accountability and responsibility. If you know who did this, be a neighbor. Speak up."
