Violent incidents left a Schaumburg man dead and five others injured as Elgin Police Chief Ana Lalley asked for Elginites’ patience while detectives continue investigating each shooting.
“This is unacceptable,” Lalley said, of the violence. “These cases are a priority. Detectives have been working nonstop. We ask people to be patient and let detectives do their work.”
Francisco Reyes-Hernandez, 38, of Schaumburg, died early Monday in a shooting on the 200 block of N. Jackson Street. An autopsy found the preliminary cause of death was consistent with a gunshot wound, according to the Kane County Coroner’s office.
Two other men were injured in the shooting that occurred during a verbal altercation between a group of people around 2:11 a.m., police said.
Three men were shot early Saturday morning at an industrial complex at Commerce Drive and Tollgate Road during a street race around 1:52 a.m., Elgin police said. A 24-year-old, a 23-year-old, and an 18-year-old were taken to area hospitals with gunshot wounds. A verbal altercation occurred, and an offender fired shots at those who had gathered, reports stated.
A video posted on social media caught the moment shots were fired then shows people running for cover and leaving the scene in their cars. The video includes a scene of several young men appearing to help another man stand and a man nearby on the ground.
Street racing has been an ongoing issue in the city for a few years, Lalley said. Police have done enforcement, but groups find other locations in the city for racing, she said. Elgin police continue enforcement, address any street racing complaints, and educate offenders about the dangers, Lalley said.
The shootings bring the total of gunfire incidents to 55 this year, according to Elgin Police Department’s transparency website. The most recent high was 64 in 2016. Reyes-Hernandez’s death is listed as the fourth homicide this year, according to the data.
While the weekend’s shootings may have left Elginites feeling anxious based on social media comments on EPD’s page, the city’s Group A violent crimes are down 11% this year compared to 2020, data shows. Overall, Elgin is seeing a 49-year decrease in crime, Lalley said.
“Elgin is safe,” Lalley said.
The weekend shootings weren’t random incidents, the chief said. Both involved interpersonal conflicts that erupted into violence, she said.
Lalley’s policy is to release information about any shots fired incident on social media to be as transparent as possible and have residents provide any information on the crimes. The approach can lead to criticism, but “I would rather take some criticism and have the community be 100% involved and let (criminals) know we don’t tolerate this,” she said.
“The end game is to make an arrest and hold people accountable,” Lalley said.
Gloria Casas is a freelance reporter for the Courier-News.
