Elgin Historic Dist. residents concerned about murders

Residents of the Elgin Historic District are a lot of things these days.

They're calm, but concerned about the recent double murder in their neighborhood and say they'll do whatever it takes prevent such a tragedy from ever happening again.

But one thing they aren't, is in fear of their lives.

"The neighborhood has improved drastically over time," said resident Willis Weiler, who has lived there for 22 years. "This is an anomaly."

On Monday, Elgin Police Chief Lisa Womack, as well as Mayor Ed Schock, other city officials and police officers, met with 70 neighbors at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church for a frank question and answer session about the Thursday night slayings.

The shootings, which Womack is classifying as gang related, occurred outside a house in the 300 block of North Street, a house police say has been popular with known gang members.

"It's not about the neighborhood, it's about specific people," Womack said of the double homicides.

Julian Mescote, 18, and Francisco Franco, 21, were gunned down in the incident that occurred just outside the house Mescote shared with his family.

Three other males -- a 16 year old, a 19 year old and a 23 year old -- also were shot and were being treated at local hospitals.

The homicides marked the first and second killings of 2007. Elgin had been murder-free for seven months.

"There is never an acceptable homicide rate," Womack said. "Zero is the only acceptable number when it comes to this rate."

Police have no suspects in custody and Womack says a masked gunman is the likely culprit. But the mask is a factor that makes it harder to identify the perpetrator and that's why police are calling on neighbors to furnish them with any tips.

Womack also encouraged them to form a neighborhood watch group and to take part in the upcoming National Night Out.

Dennis Hood, head of the police gang unit, says police have deployed additional officers that are patrolling the neighborhood around the clock to diffuse a potential retaliation.

Hood said gang awareness is ongoing and that he's using the tragic incident as an example to people considering the gang life.

Residents called on their fellow neighbors to keep the fire going and to involve police and elected officials in taking back their neighborhood.

"Don't let them drop the ball," said Holly Wiedmeyer, a 12 year resident.

The meeting was lighthearted for the most part, but turned tense when some people tried to pin the illegal immigration issue on the homicides -- both men killed were Latino.

A pair of members from the Fox Valley Citizens for Legal Immigration, a group that's active in Carpentersville, were in the audience.

Womack says crime has been on the downswing for years and that there is no correlation to illegal immigration and Elgin's crime rate.

"A lot of people are wanting to make that tie," she said.

While the community meeting was going on at the church, about 150 of Mescote's friends and family were mourning the teenager across the street at O'Conner-Leetz Funeral Home.

A few wore black and white T-shirts that said "RIP Julian Mascote," that featured a large photograph of the smiling teenager taken at his high school graduation last spring.

Underneath the photograph was "7/26/07," the date he was murdered.

His funeral is Tuesday.