After allegations of impending gang reprisal shootings surfaced on social media on Friday, authorities claimed there were no reports of major violence in the Lake County region over the course of the night. There have been no reports of unrest, according to Deputy Chief Christopher Covelli of the Lake County Sheriff’s Office, who spoke to the Lake and McHenry County Scanner on Saturday. According to an apparent email from local activist Margaret Carrasco to city officials in Lake County, “word on the street” says that reprisal shootings were planned for Friday night.
According to the email, “orders to their foot troops” are to shoot rival gang members as they enter “every pub and restaurant,” according to the text. In four separate gunshots around Waukegan and North Chicago on Wednesday evening, at least eight individuals were wounded, one fatally. The shooting spree started after an 18-year-old male was shot and killed outside an apartment building in Waukegan on Tuesday night. Covelli announced on Friday night that additional investigators and sheriff’s officers had been sent out.
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Additional policemen were also sent out by other local police agencies, including the Waukegan Police Department. Covelli claimed that at the time, there was no reliable intelligence to suggest massive public disturbance. Covelli continued, “Despite everything, we remain vigilant and ready. On social media, several locals expressed their worry, and some bars and eateries shuttered for the evening. There were “several indications that indicate gang activity is positioned towards the neighbourhoods of North Chicago and Waukegan,” Naval Station Great Lakes stated in a social media post at the time.
“Use great caution and limit potential exposure to venues that could be targeted,” the naval station ordered its staff to do. Residents were urged to report any suspicious behaviour by the Zion Police Department. The agency stated, “We are unsure of the veracity of these rumours, but given previous instances we believe that vigilance and awareness should be encouraged.” In a statement Friday morning, Waukegan Mayor Ann Taylor expressed her “disturbing, sad, and frustrated” feelings on the recent gun rampages in her hometown.
According to Taylor, “violent acts like the shootings on Wednesday cannot and should not be condoned in any civil society. To “do everything we can to get to the bottom of the reasons of these violent episodes and proactively strive to prevent them from occurring in Waukegan,” she committed to collaborate with the Waukegan Police Department. Calling the Waukegan Police Department’s tip line at 847-360-9001 is what she advises anyone with information on the most recent shootings to do.
Leon Rockingham, the mayor of North Chicago, echoed Taylor’s sentiments on Friday night and expressed his concern and displeasure over the “senseless violence.” In order to stop the senseless shootings and gang violence, Rockingham added, “it is time that we as a community take a stand against the violence and work with our police officers.”
I want you to know that I support the officers of the North Chicago Police Department and each and every government person in the city of North Chicago in our efforts to put an end to this senseless bloodshed. Additionally, he is requesting that anyone with knowledge regarding the recent shootings call the North Chicago Police Department’s tip line at 847-596-8740 and report anything that seems out of the ordinary.
