HUMBOLDT PARK — Neighbors of a corner store in Humboldt Park say the shop is attracting "gang bangers" after there have been two shootings outside the shop in the past two months.
The latest shooting, which occurred Wednesday night, sent a bullet through the window of a home near the shop, according to neighbors in the 3300 block of West Evergreen Avenue.
"I was here with my kid, he started going crazy," said Adam Corona, who lives on the block along with his 8-year-old son and wife. "He's afraid of fireworks because he's so little. He started hearing these shots, pop, pop, pop, pop. I thought these are shots not fireworks."
Corona, who ran for alderman of the 26th Ward and lost and is currently the ward superintendent for Ald. John Arena (45th), said he called 911 right after the shooting about 8:50 p.m.
Witnesses said the shooter was in a vehicle shooting at another vehicle and there were about six shots fired.
Although multiple neighbors on the block reported the shooting, police on Monday said they had no report of the incident.
"When I heard the first three shots I called in," Corona said.
Another neighbor also said he called 911.
Last month Corona captured video of a getaway car outside his home after a drive-by shooting outside the corner store just before 8 p.m. on July 7.
A car can be seen speeding through an intersection, nearly striking two people crossing the street. Others on the block appear startled after the car zooms by.
Corona said he installed the cameras and pointed them in the direction of the business about five years ago to try to deter crime in the neighborhood.
"The thing is you see many instances when families are walking in there or kids are walking in because it's the only convenience store in the area," he said. "Anything could have happened."
Neighbors said no one was injured during either shooting.
One neighbor, Carolle Derradji, works as a nurse at Loyola Medical Center in Maywood and has thought she was going to have to go into survival mode after hearing shootings some nights.
Derradji moved to Humboldt Park about a year and a half ago from Oak Park and said she hears a shooting multiple times a week.
Since moving into the Humboldt Park home she and her husband have stopped living in their second-floor bedroom because that part of the house is not made of bricks.
Instead, they sleep in the basement.
"In the bedroom we are afraid it's going to come right through," Derradji said. "It's scary and we can't afford to move. We just bought the house."
Derradji said her brother lives about five blocks away and has lived in the neighborhood for nine years, so she and her husband figured it would be safe.
She said she and her husband moved to Humboldt Park because it was an up-and-coming neighborhood.
"We knew where we were moving, but we didn't think it was that bad," Derradji said.
They paid about $560,000 for the home.
"We would never expect to spend that kind of money and have to deal with this," Derradji said.
While neighbors are quick to blame Payless Grocery, the corner store at 3301 W. Evergreen Ave., the owner says there is nothing he can do.
"We close the store at nine and on the weekends at 10," said Yaser Saed, who owns the business with his father. "Most of the shootings happen after we are closed. It's bad for me. It's bad for my business."
Saed said he has owned the shop for about six years.
He said that this year there has been an uptick is crime, especially shootings, near the store.
"It's never happened before," Saed said. "It is all this year."
Saed said he has been calling police and denies the shop is part of the problem.
"If anything, I call for help," he said. "I'm trying to clean the area up."
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