BRIDGEPORT — Ald. Patrick D. Thompson (11th) has a nickname for gangbangers shooting guns in the neighborhood.
“Cancer,” Thompson said in an interview after a suspected gang member unloaded 15 handgun rounds while targeting a man in the 1000 block of West 32nd Place.
“They think they’re tough guys because they have a pistol.”
In the past week, there have been several shootings in Bridgeport, causing concern at the 11th Ward headquarters.
Someone first targeted a man around 1:30 p.m.Thursday in the 1000 block of West 32nd Place, though all of the 15 fired shots missed, hitting parked cars instead.
The next shooting happened around 11:30 a.m. Friday, leaving a 16-year-old boy dead from a shotgun blast to his chest in the 3500 block of South Parnell.
Another shooting targeted a 36-year-old gang member standing on a back porch around 3 a.m. Sunday in the 600 block of West 28th Street, police said. He was shot and critically injured.
In response to a rise in violence across the city, Thompson said, Deering District police have increased manpower, adding two sergeants. A recent gang task force operation in the 11th and 15th wards put 140 gang members behind bars.
But more needs to be done to extinguish gang violence on the South Side, Thompson said.
“We need better gun laws in this state,” Thompson said.
The second-term alderman said any gang member found with a gun on the streets should face a mandatory five years in prison, and when it comes to teenagers wrapped up in gangs and their violent ways, the punishment should be just as harsh.
“Now they’re trying to target the 13-year-olds to do the shooting,” Thompson said. “They should just send these kids away."
"You know what? Your parents aren’t going to parent you? Well you’re not going to be a cancer," Thompson said. "Go. You’re gone. Send ‘em to juvie.”
Going forward, Thompson — who keeps up daily conversation with Deering District police — said there will be a focus on patrolling areas like McGuane Park, a trouble spot where gangbangers often hang out.
Deering District Police Cmdr. Daniel Godsel was not immediately available for comment Monday.
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