Violence continues to plague Chicago area funerals, including Friday's shooting in Maywood

CHICAGO (WLS) -- For years the ABC7 I-Team has been tracking and investigating violence at Chicago-area funerals.

Friday's incident in Maywood is just the latest in a long string of shootings, chases and in some cases killings.

Outbreaks of funeral violence often involve gang retaliation, but sometimes funeral violence is the result purely of high emotions.

Five years ago the I-Team uncovered police bodycam video of a funeral attack in south suburban Evergreen Park just days before Thanksgiving.

At some Chicago areas funerals the question becomes: is nothing sacred?

When gang members are killed, police say alleged mourners have taken to falling into memorial motorcades and then, armed to the teeth, take advantage of gang enemies who are exposed and easy targets.

In December of 2017 a funeral outburst with four armed funeral attendees ended with a suburban Chicago police chief ramming the shooter's vehicle. Following a foot chase, all four armed individuals were caught and arrested.

Authorities have told the I-Team that dangerous and disrespectful funeral processions and out of control behavior at churches and burial sites have been going on for years, and sometimes the underlying motivation is old fashioned family squabbles, fueled by heartache and anguish.

Chicago police and adjacent suburban departments trade intelligence with cemeteries about upcoming funerals ripe for possible gang vengeance.

In Maywood, authorities said it was a simmering family feud boiling over in the heat of the moment that led to Friday's shooting.

To prevent violence, some funeral directors say they sometimes schedule services earlier in the day and modify procession routes to prevent trouble.