Burr Ridge Officials Mum On Mass Shooting

BURR RIDGE, IL – The June 18 mass shooting across the street from Burr Ridge has generated much conversation throughout the suburbs.

But it did not merit a mention at Monday's Village Board meeting – the first since the tragedy.

By contrast, officials during meetings of the Western Springs Village Board and Hinsdale High School District 86 noted the shooting.

Authorities said a man died and 22 others were injured in the shooting. No arrests have been made.

At its meeting Monday, the Burr Ridge board honored a retiring police officer, thanked a donor for the village's concert series, enacted routine changes to the liquor code and even discussed a proposed truck stop that is near the site of the shooting.

The session lasted 24 minutes, with few items on the agenda.

The shooting happened during a Juneteenth celebration at the strip mall at the southwest corner of Route 83 and Honeysuckle Rose Lane.

The strip mall is next to the Hinsdale Lake Terrace Apartments, which is federally subsidized housing. Also west of Route 83, some neighborhoods include lower-value homes.

Since the shooting, the race and economic status of residents in these developments have been the focus of much online commentary.

On the east side of Route 83 is Burr Ridge, which is among the wealthiest towns in Illinois.

The low-income housing is part of Burr Ridge School District 180, which covers southern Burr Ridge and nearby unincorporated areas such as Hinsdale Lake Terrace.

Demographically, Burr Ridge 180 is far different from the village's other two elementary districts. It is two-thirds African American and nearly 90 percent low-income.

Burr Ridge's other districts – Gower 62 and Pleasantdale 107 – are both 12 percent low-income and less than 3 percent African American.

A day after the shooting, Burr Ridge 180 Superintendent Thomas Schneider issued a statement, saying the district wanted to express its sadness for the violence and loss of life.

"We anticipate that students and staff may need support through this difficult time," he said.

Patch left a message for comment with Burr Ridge Mayor Gary Grasso.