Is latest murder gang related?

Less than one month after a 14-year-old boy was killed in an Addison shopping center, gunfire rang out again, resulting in a similar tragic end.

Lorenzo Salazar-Cortez died early Sept. 15 after an unknown assailant opened fire on a Dale Street apartment. His family buried the 22-year-old man in Mexico.

Detectives are investigating whether his murder is tied to the earlier shooting in Green Meadows Shopping Center. Two 15-year-old boys are accused of killing Francisco Baiza, 14, while he applied for a job on Aug. 21.

Salazar-Cortez did not have any known gang ties, but police say it's possible he died in retaliation for the earlier murder.

The two 15-year-old defendants gave videotaped statements in which authorities said they admitted their gang affiliation. Members of the same gang previously rented the first-floor apartment where Salazar-Cortez was killed. But graffiti found nearby belonged to a third gang that was not connected to the earlier murder.

"It's possibly gang-related," Addison Detective Cmdr. Mark Van Stedum said. "However, up to this point, there's nothing that leads us to believe our victim had any gang affiliation."

He added: "There is no real reason anyone would want to kill him. We're looking at whether the target could have been the apartment more than the victim."

Police characterized the close timing of the murders as a fluke, rather than a sign of rising gang tensions.

Both crimes were particularly brazen. Francisco was killed in broad daylight Aug. 21 in the bustling Lake Street center -- near the police station -- while standing with friends, including the little brother of one defendant.

Less than one month later, on Sept. 15, Salazar-Cortez was inside a first-floor apartment at 320 Dale St. about 5 a.m. when an assailant repeatedly fired from outside the building, through a window, before fleeing. Salazar-Cortez, of Berkeley, died of multiple gunshot wounds.

The two 15-year-old Addison teens remain in the DuPage County youth home on first-degree murder charges. Police have not made an arrest in the second murder, but they continue to hunt down leads and interview witnesses.

DuPage County has a low crime rate, but experts say none of its communities are immune to gang violence. It's not a new phenomenon. A number of factors -- such as the destruction of Chicago public housing and immigration to the suburbs -- led to suburban gang presence.

"Overall, gang crimes aren't escalating," Addison Police Chief William Hayden said. "I do think our efforts are having an impact, but they're (gangs) never going to go away completely."

In the Chicago Crime Commission's "Gang Book," a 272-page report released last year, an estimated 5,000 gang members were listed as living in DuPage County. The information is based on that provided by local police agencies, not all of whom responded.

For years, Addison has taken aggressive efforts to improve the town's image. After a hard-fought court battle in the early 1990s, the village redeveloped two problem apartment complexes to include affordable condos, parks and a community center.

In January, the Addison police force will be brought up to 75 sworn officers. The extra manpower will allow for the creation of more specialized beats, where officers will be assigned to specific troublesome areas.

Another new program kicking off soon in Addison hits landlords right where it hurts -- their pocketbooks -- if they don't comply with a nuisance abatement ordinance. Planners hope they may even be able to require landlords to do criminal background checks before approving a new tenant.

The ideas come on the heels of years of aggressive policing. A few years ago, Addison police joined forces with county, state and federal officials to arrest 58 people after a 20-month undercover probe of an open-air drug market operating in the beleaguered Bradford Court apartments.

More recently, about two dozen defendants were arrested this summer in another undercover sweep that got drugs and several weapons off the streets.

Still, Addison residents might not always hear about these efforts. Besides for investigative reasons, police often keep mum about some crimes.

"We're not trying to hide anything," Mayor Larry Hartwig said. "We do recognize the challenges we still have but, on the other hand, we don't necessarily want to shout it from the rooftops."

Hartwig said random crimes, where there is a need for public safety, are always announced.