Gun violence surges in major U.S. cities, 13 killed in Chicago over July Fourth weekend

President Trump on Sunday evening indicated that the federal government is available to help Chicago and New York tackle their crime problems.

"Chicago and New York City crime numbers are way up. 67 people shot in Chicago, 13 killed. Shootings up significantly in NYC where people are demanding that @NYGovCuomo & @NYCMayor act now. Federal Government ready, willing and able to help, if asked!" the president tweeted.

Trump also tweeted about the two major U.S. cities on Monday morning: "New York City and Chicago play the Sanctuary City card, where criminals are protected. Perhaps they will have to start changing their ways (and thinking!)."

Chicago officials report a deadly Fourth of July weekend, with a least 13 people killed, including a 7-year-old girl, the latest in a wave of violent crime in the city since the Memorial Day weekend.

The child was reportedly killed at a family party. A teenage boy was also among those killed. The 14-year-old died in a shooting just before midnight Saturday, when four males reportedly opened fire on a large street gathering, police said.

Police reportedly had planned to put an additional 1,200 officers on the streets this past weekend, in response to the crime wave.

In New York, the city reportedly had 176 murders in the first six months of the year, a 23% increase compared to the same period last year.

In Chicago, the 7-year-old girl was fatally shot in the head while standing on the sidewalk at her grandmother’s house during a Fourth of July party around 7 p.m. in the Austin neighborhood, police told the Associated Press.

The suspects got out of a car and began shooting, police officials said. No one has been arrested.

The previous weekend, a 1-year-old boy riding in a car with his mother and a 10-year-old girl who was inside her home when a bullet fired a block away pierced a window and struck her in the head as she sat on a couch, according to news reports.