UPDATED 6:11 P.M.
PEORIA, Ill. – Four homicides in the last two weeks, along with several serious shootings has Peoria Police Chief Eric Echevarria saying, essentially, enough is enough.
“I’m tired. We’re upset. We’re angry. I have officers that are out here that are sleep-deprived,” said Echevarria, Thursday morning. “I have a community that is distressed. We’re frustrated, and we’re angry, and we want the community to start sharing information.”
Echevarria says the community needs to step up, because many of them know who is causing the crimes.
“I think there’s this mentality of, ‘we’re not going to snitch.’ But, people are dying. And until it hits you on your doorsteps, then is that the time you’re going to wait? We need our community to take ownership, and take our community back, and share information with us,” said Echevarria.
Echevarria says maybe some of the people putting the incidents on social media, or who are there to just, in his words, antagonize, need to change their tunes and start helping police.
To put it mildly, Peoria County Coroner Jamie Harwood has had to be called to too many crime scenes in Peoria the last several weeks to pronounce people dead.
“I know this is difficult for the Peoria community. We’ve had a very violent last few weeks, particularly the last few days,” said Harwood. “It’s gut-wrenching for the people who live in these areas, and in these neighborhoods. I know the police department is doing their very best to track down these suspects and get this under control. I have hope in that, and I don’t want our community to lose hope in that effort to keep us safe.”
Peoria Mayor Rita Ali says, as someone who grew up in South Peoria, the shootings and violence hits a little close to home.
“My family still lives there. My mother, my brother, my nieces and nephews, and lifelong friends. These violent acts are personal to me. These acts break the hearts of the people who live there, who work there, and who chose to have a home there,” Ali said.
Ali says she’s asking people to put the guns down for the sake of families and the community. She’s also asking parents to be involved more in their child’s lives and activities to provide guidance and support.
First District Councilwoman Denise Jackson, who’s district serves South Peoria, echoed that sentiment, saying there’s resources available for parents who need help.
“If you can’t handle your child, we’ve got resources, we’ve got counseling services, we’ve got just a plethora of things to help you to provide the kind of help that your son or your daughter needs,” Jackson said.
Jackson also talked about the need for people to say something if they see something to help keep communities safer.
The Peoria Federation of Teachers even has an opinion, saying it’s “out of control” and calling on city leaders to declare a “state of emergency.”
“…something drastic needs to be done to bring the shooting and killing to an immediate hault [sic],” said a social media post.
Despite the upward movement in homicide totals this year at 19 now, there are still just a little more than half the number of the 2021 record year.
