Neighbors ask for 'robust' patrols July Fourth in wake of Juneteenth shooting
DuPage County officials are being asked to patrol the site of a fatal Juneteenth shooting during the July Fourth celebrations.
Burr Ridge resident JoAnn Krypel Tuesday told DuPage County Board members large impromptu groups have gathered in the same strip mall near Willowbrook for July Fourth celebrations in years past.
It is unclear if a Fourth of July gathering is planned this year, but nearby residents don't want to risk it.
"With the incident last week, ending with a young man tragically losing his life, I hope we all agree that safety is the highest priority," Krypel told board members.
She requested a "robust" law enforcement presence in the area of the strip mall next week.
Witnesses said several hundred people gathered in the Somerset Plaza parking lot near Honeysuckle Rose Lane and Kingery Highway on June 17 for a Juneteenth celebration. Gunfire erupted shortly after midnight on June 18, killing a 31-year-old man who lived in the adjacent apartment complex and injuring 22 others.
No one has been charged in the shooting.
Other nearby residents echoed Krypel's concerns in recent emails to county board members.
Krypel and another nearby resident said they spoke with sheriff's deputies patrolling the strip mall on June 17 to see if the large crowd would be dispersed.
According to Krypel, the deputies said there was nothing they could do.
Representatives for Rossi Real Estate Corp., which manages the property, did not respond to calls for comment. The DuPage County sheriff's office also did not respond to calls for comment.
"If the crowds cannot be controlled, it seems to me the only responsible course of action would be to shut the mall and parking space down for those holiday weekends," Rosemary Wagner, who also lives near the strip mall, wrote in an email to county board members.
DuPage officials Wednesday confirmed they had not issued any permits, nor were any requested, for the Juneteenth celebration. They added such a gathering, in an unincorporated area of the county, would have required a permit.
The matter as it relates to the lack of a permit is under review by the DuPage County state's attorney's office, a county spokesperson said.