Funeral shootings still plague Chicago area law enforcement

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Police have been struggling to stop a parade of getaway cars after gunshots and violence at churches and funeral homes, and along processions to cemeteries.

Violence related to memorial services has been an ongoing problem for metro Chicago law enforcement. The I-Team has been documenting the issue for years.

Dramatic dash cam video in late 2017 captured a violent end to a funeral procession with heavily armed mourners as a suspect car was T-boned by Hillside police.

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Also captured on video, an Evergreen Park officer chased a suspected shooter through a cemetery in a different incident.

Violence and mayhem have sometimes become part of the funeral rite across metro Chicago in recent years.

"This is a time to mourn the deceased and to pay their respects to the loved ones. And should you be a have to worry about your personal safety going to and from? You really shouldn't. And there's only so much law enforcement can do," said Bill Kushner, ABC7 police affairs consultant.

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As the I-Team first reported in 2018, Chicago and suburban police share intelligence in an effort to head off rival attacks on the funerals of gang members.

Police were in place in Chatham before someone opened fire outside a funeral home, critically injuring two.

Law enforcement experts noted that a police presence does not always act as a deterrent.

"Because they realize that the odds of being prosecuted in Cook County for a gun crime are slim to none," Kushner said. "And we've seen in the last couple of weeks where we've had people arrested with devices to convert handguns to machine guns and they're not charged in Cook County, but they're charged federally."

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Kushner was a CPD official and then chief of police in suburban Des Plaines. When asked what more could law enforcement be doing, Kushner suggested the problem needs to be addressed on several different fronts.

"Well, I know that beat where this shooting happened. For a number of years I worked in that district and in that area. And for every thug that's out there with a gun, there's probably 300 decent, hardworking people that live in the community to want the community to be safe. So it's kind of it's got to be a team effort. The community's got to call when they see something the police have to respond and the prosecutors have to charge," he said.

Kushner also suggested funeral directors may have to staff larger security teams with off-duty police, posting armed guards inside and outside memorial services.

He said there needs to be close attention paid to shooters masquerading as mourners, signs of hiding guns or perhaps motorists about to stage drive-by funeral attacks.