More than 40 people shot over holiday weekend: Chicago police

CHICAGO — Chicago police say more than 40 people were shot over the holiday weekend and more than three dozen guns were seized.

The shooting tally includes violence at a family Christmas party on the city’s South Side at which two people were killed and several others wounded.

READ MORE: Chicago homicide total soars past 500 after violent Labour Day weekend

Police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said in a statement that the majority of shootings and homicides from Friday afternoon through Monday morning were “targeted attacks by gangs against potential rivals who were at holiday gatherings.”

WATCH: A total of seven people were shot at a house party in Chicago on Christmas night, killing two brothers. Of the five wounded, two are in critical condition. Mike Puccinelli reports.

1:21 Christmas massacre at Chicago house party leaves brothers dead, several wounded

He says 45 guns have been seized since Friday afternoon, which is slightly more than a typical weekend.

Violence over the holiday weekend comes during a surge in city violence. More than 700 homicides have been reported this year. Last year, fewer than 500 homicides were reported.

WATCH: Chicago marked a grim milestone, recording its 500th murder over the Labour Day weekend. As Jackson Proskow reports, police have struggled to gain control of the problem and blame overcrowded prisons for turning violent offenders back onto the streets.

2:37 Chicago homicide total soars past 500 after violent Labour Day weekend