Chicago police officers stayed in the neighborhood until late Monday afternoon. Chicago Investigators are still searching for a lead that could possibly lead to an arrest in this case.
Police officials say the attack is one of 25 that happened between Friday morning and Monday morning.
Jodi Weis says he has reconfirmed his commitment to stopping the gang and gun violence so Chicago can be the safest big city.
"We are committed to combating the violence," said Superintendent Jody Weis, Chicago Police Department.
Weis's declaration came several hours after 16-year-old Chicago public school student Alexander Mercado was shot and killed earlier Monday while sitting in a parked car just a few miles from his Albany Park home.
Monday afternoon, Weis reiterated his policing strategy which includes:
- dispatching gang enforcement officers to known gang hot spots in city neighborhoods before violence erupts,
- partnering with state and federal agencies to get guns out of the hands of gangbangers,
- and continuing to use predictive analytics to track the movements of gangs and their illegal enterprises.
The superintendent adds, because just making arrests alone doesn't work, a commitment from the community is key.
"So, we adjust our deployment in terms of numbers, we adjust our locations, and by working with the community, we can focus in on where we need to have our resources, and that's what we keep trying to do," said Weis.
Some of those resources are being focused between 8 p.m. and 4 a.m., because the superintendent says that's when a lot of the crime is occurring, especially due to gangs and guns.
Weis said he is not willing to call his strategy a success yet; he hasn't quite looked at the numbers, but he does say his department has managed to seize hundreds of guns as well as millions of dollars in drugs and drug money.
As for the slaying of the 16-year-old, so far, no one is in custody and no arrests have been made.
