Despite a regular police presence in the area and surveillance cameras suspended over the heavy pedestrian and vehicular traffic, the intersections around the Central Avenue Green Line, which is flanked by Lake Street to the north and West Corcoran Place to the south, are hotspots for violent crime.
The regularity with which shootings and murders have happened over the last several years is particularly striking considering that the area is within a few minutes’ walk from a high school campus, a park district facility, a daycare, numerous churches and a range of businesses.
Below is a short list of some of the violent crimes in the area that have garnered news coverage over the years:
Oct. 28, 2011
“About 15 minutes later [11:15 p.m.], an 18-year-old man was shot in the chest in the 5500 block of West Corcoran Place, police said. He was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital in serious condition.”
Source: NBC Chicago
April 7, 2014
“Three men were wounded Monday morning in a shooting on the city’s West Side near Lake Street and Central Avenue in the Austin neighborhood
“All three men were shot in the lower extremities, and one was also hit in the back, Chicago police said, just after 11 a.m. in what appears to be a drive-by shooting.”
Source: ABC 7 Chicago
Oct. 24, 2014
“Family members embrace at the scene where two men were shot, including a 23-year-old man who was killed, Saturday, Oct. 24, 2014 in the 5500 block of West Corcoran Place in Chicago.”
Source: Chicago Tribune
April 14, 2016
“About 9:40 p.m., a 22-year-old woman and a 23-year-old man were walking towards a parking lot in the 5500 block of West Corcoran Place when they heard shots and realized that they’d been hit, police said.
“The woman suffered a gunshot wound to the left arm and a graze wound to the back, was taken to West Suburban Medical Center in Oak Park and was later transferred to Stroger Hospital, police said. The man was shot in the abdomen and taken to Mount Sinai Hospital. Both of their conditions were stabilized.”
Source: Chicago Sun-Times
Dec. 31, 2016
“About an hour earlier, another person was shot in the West Side Austin neighborhood. The male, whose age was not immediately known, was shot in the abdomen at 12:52 p.m. in the 5600 block of West Corcoran, police said. He was taken to Stroger Hospital, but his condition was unknown.”
Source: CBS Local
Jan. 2, 2016
“A man was killed on a Safe Passage route on the first day back to classes for Chicago Public Schools students, one of six people shot across the city on Monday.
“The 21-year-old man was shot four times in the chest about 8:20 a.m. near Lake Street and Central Avenue in the Austin neighborhood, according to authorities.
“The man, identified as Jeffrey A. Mattix, was taken to Loyola University Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead, according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office.”
Source: Chicago Tribune
