Spurred by a rash of gang shootings and the midafternoon murder of a teenager last week, a task force of 50 police officers and scores of maintenance workers swooped down on two troubled Chicago Housing Authority high-rise buildings in the Henry Horner development Wednesday.
“These buildings have been the scene of a lot of gang violence and shootings,” said police Cmdr. Robert Guthrie of the public housing unit.
In the past two months the building at 2215 and 2245 W. Lake St. have been the scenes of repeated gang shootings, an outgrowth of an escalating gang war in the development, according to residents.
“They are shooting back and forth every night,” said one resident who asked that his name not be used. “Most of the time no one is hit, but you can hear the gunfire.”
Tensions got worse after the CHA emptied two other buildings in the development and moved those residents into the 2215 and 2245 Lake Street buildings. That shift brought rival gang members into close proximity daily.
Last week, Corey Harris, 2215 W. Lake St., was shot several times by an assailant who followed him into the lobby of the building where he lived. He died two days later.
At first Harris was reported to be 14 years old and was believed to have been the 58th child in the Chicago area to be murdered this year, but police later determined he was 15.
No one has been arrested in his killing, police said.
In addition to the Harris homicide, there have been seven other people shot and wounded in the area since mid-September, police said.
“What we have done is sweep through the buildings to secure them and reconfigure the lobby areas, including new metal detectors in front and turnstiles at the back doors, so you can only exit and not enter,” Guthrie said.
“They are rebuilding the security guard booths (in the lobbies) getting rid of the wooden temporary booths installed in January. We are putting in brand new concrete guard booths where we can buzz residents in and out.”
There were no weapons found and no arrests were made, Guthrie said.
