CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) — A South Side alderman says the apparent targeting of a police officer and two ATF agents shows how Chicagoans and authorities are under siege by increasingly brazen criminals.
Alderman Matt O’Shea of the 19th Ward said there are more than 100,000 gang members who have no fear of law enforcement. He was reacting to the ambush of a trio of law enforcement officers who were fired upon in Morgan Park while their vehicle was traveling.
“Clearly these individuals today knew they were targeting law enforcement, which certainly ups the ante,” O’Shea told Mike Krauser Wednesday.
O’Shea blames a flood of illegal firearms and a court system that effectively releases dangerous offenders from jail while they await trial on felony charges. The complaint is one lodged frequently by Police Supt. David Brown, though court officials disagree.
“How many innocent children have been shot and killed this year?” O’Shea said. “How many have been shot in the past week?”
A person of interest was being questioned in today’s shooting. The offender or offenders who attacked the officers Wednesday should face federal charges, the alderman said.
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