Family members of homicide victims on Chicago's Southwest Side neighborhood demonstrated outside the 2nd District Chicago police station Wednesday, demanding more action on unsolved homicide cases.
Jose Molina lost his 9-year-old daughter, Ariana, in a mass shooting in the city's Back of the Yards neighborhood on April 13. Her killing remains unsolved.
“We need justice for her. I need them to find who did this to my daughter – she didn’t deserve this. She was only 9 years old,” Molina said.
Juanita Arias attended the demonstration, demanding justice for her 27-year-old son who was killed in September 2023 in the city's Brighton Park neighborhood.
In a statement to NBC Chicago, Chicago police said detectives work around the clock to seek justice for victims of senseless violence and their families.
"Throughout the past few years, Chicago police detectives have steadily increased the homicide clearance rate in pursuit of this justice. Last year, the Bureau of Detectives cleared 319 homicides, bringing the homicide clearance rate to 51.7%, the highest since 2019," police said.
Families of victims met with detectives following the demonstration to receive updates on their respective cases.
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