Elgin police still seeking info about gunshot victim

Elgin police have not yet determined the circumstances of events that resulted in a person showing up at a hospital with a gunshot wound on Monday - including whether the shooting even happened in Elgin, Chief Ana Lalley said Friday.

Lalley used her weekly radio show to ask for the public's help in reporting any information about the shooting, including where it occurred. Police are not yet prepared to take the victim's statements at face value, she said.

"Sometimes people may say, 'This is what happened,' but we still have to investigate," Lalley said. "We have a responsibility to vet that out. We have had cases where people walk into a local hospital and been shot, and it didn't even happen in Elgin.

"Sometimes people are not forthcoming with the information. And we have some incidents where we will never know because people are not giving out information."

Speculation about the shooting is rampant on social media, including any possible connection to other recent shootings. Lalley asked people to avoid speculation because it spreads possible misinformation.

"Once we put something out, you can't take it back," Lalley said. "So we are not quick to make assumptions. There is information that we will hold back from the public because we are trying to solve cases and make arrests."

Lalley did address the police presence at the Jewel on Larkin this week. She said if a shooting occurred at the Jewel, police would have put that information out to the public.

"Sometimes you will see a large police presence because the police are trying to find out what occurred," Lalley said. "It could be part of an investigation; it could not. There's details of some things that I'm not going to disclose."

Lalley said sharing too much information too soon can hinder the investigation. She also put the recent shootings in context.

The chief said there have been 20 shots-fired incidents in the city in 2022 so far. That's down from 22 at the same time in 2021. Overall, the most serious crimes in the city are down 10% compared to the same time last year, she said.

Police are teaming up with Kane County sheriff's deputies to enhance patrols. That's already resulted in arrests for unlawful possession of a weapon, Lalley said.

The bad news in Elgin crime statistics is motor vehicle burglaries are up 207%, and motor vehicle thefts are up 96%. Those crimes stem from residents' leaving valuables in unlocked cars and leaving keys in cars while warming them up in cold weather.

The simple solution is to always lock your vehicles and remove all valuables from them, Lalley said.