State Lawmaker Frustrated With Violent Crime In Albany Park After Bullet Narrowly Misses 7-Year-Old Girl Who Was Doing Her Homework; ‘It Is A War Zone’
By Tim McNicholas
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CHICAGO (WBBM) — A war zone. That’s how a state lawmaker describes a North Side neighborhood where bullets flew through a family’s window—narrowly missing a 7-year-old girl.
Morning Insider Tim McNicholas is searching for solutions to the violence in Albany Park.
Dario Agudo says his daughter was finishing homework Sunday night when a bullet missed her by inches.
“It’s kinda scary,” he said. “If that was me sitting down right here, that was gonna hit my head.”
Agudo’s newly installed security camera captured the gunshots. Now the family is looking to move out of their home of 20 years.
“I totally believe, like, when it’s your time it’s your time, no matter where you are; but I don’t wanna take those chances if it continues, the violence, like this.” Dario
The family lives near Drake and Ainslie. They say they hear gunshots on their block two to three times per week. The problems caught the attention of an Illinois lawmaker.
“It is a war zone,” said Illinois State Rep. Jaime Andrade (D-Chicago)
Andrade said he gets calls about shootings in the area daily.
On YouTube, we found videos of nine other shootings at the intersection just within the past 15 months.
McNicholas: “What can we do to stop this?”
Andrade: “17th District needs more police officers. We need to enforce the laws that we have. The judges can’t be afraid to sentence these criminals. We have to prosecute these cases.”
Andrade pointed out that if no people are hit, Chicago police often classify shootings as “criminal damage to property” as they did Sunday.
He plans on introducing legislation to change that.
“This should be classified as damage to personal property by gunfire. There has to be a difference, because this gets lumped to just as if someone threw a rock through a window, and it can’t be,” he said.
Agudo’s daughter wound up taking an extra day off school.
“They didn’t rest enough,” Agudo said.
He’s just happy he’s dealing with broken glass—and not a broken heart.
Chicago police would not comment on whether they’re short on officers in that district.
They did say they are investigating the shooting at Agudo’s home.
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