Hundreds of Gang Members Live in Evanston: Chief

Evanston, IL — While the problem of gangs and shooting violence in Evanston is nothing compared to what is seen in its neighbor to the south, two murders and 10 shootings during the first half of the year is an incredible amount for a municipality on the North Shore.

Police Chief Richard Eddington told the Evanston RoundTable in an interview on how police plan to curb the number of shootings in town that there are about 500 gang members, and roughly 10 gangs, in Evanston.

Data in the article shows the vast majority of violent incidents in Evanston involve either juveniles or young adults. Nine of the 10 people wounded in Evanston shootings in 2016 are younger than 25 years old, six being teenagers.

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"Some of the drivers of today’s violence were not here 10 years ago," Eddington said.

It isn't “a large number of people" engaging in the gun violence, according to Eddington, who thinks it’s "a relatively small group that’s taking the step to shoot somebody else."

"Unfortunately it has a huge impact on the community as a whole,” he said.

Read more via the Evanston RoundTable