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Humboldt Park Block 'Like a Cemetery,' Man Says After 28-Year-Old's Killing

By  Kelly Bauer and Alex Nitkin | August 23, 2015 9:17am | Updated on August 27, 2015 9:41pm

 Raul Lagunas, 28, was shot dead on Sunday, according to police.
Raul Lagunas, 28, was shot dead on Sunday, according to police.
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DNAinfo/Kelly Bauer

HUMBOLDT PARK — A 28-year-old man died after being shot in Humboldt Park Sunday morning, police said.

Around 6 a.m., the man was shot in his neck and his arm in the 1500 block of North Avers Avenue, according to Officer Janel Sedevic, a Chicago Police spokeswoman.

Raul Lagunas, 28, was pronounced dead at 6:13 a.m. on the scene, according to the Cook County Medical Examiner's office. He lived on the same block as the shooting.

Police could not immediately provide any other information on the shooting, and attempts to contact the family were unsuccessful.

The area has become "like a cemetery," said a man who has lived on the block since 2003. He asked not to be identified because he fears for his safety. On Sunday, he was headed to work when he went outside and saw Lagunas' body covered by a sheet, he said on Thursday.

"A thing like this, it's not supposed to happen," he said.

On Thursday, a memorial for Lagunas was set up in front of his home, prayer candles flickering beneath a poster with photos of the 28-year-old. "RIP Junito," the poster says. "Gone but never forgotten. We love you, Boo!"

Down the street, children played outside with their parents and people rode by on their bikes. But, there is gunfire two to three times per week in the area "for no reason at all," the man said, who added that it's often due to gang disputes.

There have been 61 reported shootings in Humboldt Park so far this year, leaving 11 people dead, according to DNAinfo data. Eleven of those shootings and two of those homicides occurred in August. Less than a mile away, one man was killed and another was wounded while sitting in a van Monday night.

"Neighborhood's not safe," the man said. "It's not safe here."

See our map of every shooting in Chicago since 2010.

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