After fatal strip mall shooting, DuPage County leaders want to know how county can help

A fatal Juneteenth shooting near Willowbrook is prompting community leaders to refocus on residents' needs.

On Monday, DuPage County Board Chairwoman Deborah Conroy will host a private meeting with about 25 guests to see how the county can help residents in the Hinsdale Lake Terrace Apartments.

A resident of the apartment complex died last weekend during a shooting at a nearby strip mall. Hundreds had gathered in the strip mall's parking lot Saturday evening for an annual Juneteenth celebration.

Gunfire erupted shortly after midnight, injuring 22 and killing Reginald Meadows, a 31-year-old father of two.

"First and foremost, we want (residents) to know that we are here for them, and we want to support them," Conroy said Friday. "This is devastating to the entire county, and we want to offer them support and resources. ... Hearing from them is our priority right now."

During a county board committee meeting on Tuesday, board member Liz Chaplin said, "There's a disturbingly high incidence of crime in the vicinity of the shooting."

The area, known as Willowbrook Corner, houses one of the highest concentrations of low-income residents in DuPage County, officials say.

"It's disheartening to witness the lack of amenities out there and the disinvestment in that community," Chaplin said.

Chaplin and others noted the only walkable grocery store is a small convenience store in the strip mall. The nearest full-service grocery store is two to three miles up Kingery Road, a long walk for residents who do not have cars.

In addition, access to public transportation, park or library programs is limited, Chaplin said.

Conroy said she wants to use Monday's meeting to discuss what services are available and how the county can help fill any gaps. A new community center built by and for the apartment complex is nearly complete, but what services will be provided there remains unclear.

"I have my entire staff looking at things that might help, but it's more important to hear from them (residents) about what may help them," Conroy said.

Though the shooting has brought a new focus to the area, Conroy said the county had already started working toward addressing needs.

"Unfortunately, this happened, and that makes it even more critical that we get in," Conroy said, referring to the shooting.

Chaplin has suggested reinstating a satellite office for the sheriff's office in the apartment complex.

A neighborhood resource center was established with the cooperation of the sheriff's department in the Hinsdale Lake Terrace apartment complex as part of the 1990s trend toward community policing. Then-Sheriff John Zaruba later pulled deputies out of community resource centers because "people weren't walking in."

Having a sheriff's office in the community could help build relationships and trust with residents, who in turn may be more likely to share information and "possibly prevent things like this," Chaplin said, referring to the shooting.

"This area needs help, and we need to get out there and assist them," she said.

The DuPage County sheriff's office did not respond to requests for comment. Representatives from Hinsdale Lake Terrace Apartments could not be reached for comment.

• Daily Herald staff writer Katlyn Smith contributed to this report.