End of ShotSpotter starts shooting blame game
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Illustration: Brendan Lynch/Axios
As the City Council debated the future of ShotSpotter last month, some alders warned that every shooting occurring after the dismantling of the gunshot detection system would raise questions about whether it could have made a difference.
Why it matters: Those questions are already sparking debates among public officials, marking the beginning of what's likely to be months of finger-pointing over the controversial deactivation of the tech on Sept 23.
Driving the news: On Tuesday, Ald. David Moore suggested that 19-year-old Sierra Evans, who was found shot to death Saturday in the 9500 block of South Avenue N, "could have possibly survived" if ShotSpotter had been operating in the area.
- Police say the 911 call came in around 9 am, nine hours after Moore says ShotSpotter detectors picked up the shots at the scene but did not relay them to CPD because the system had been deactivated.
- Evan's uncle told WGN-TV his niece "would've probably still been with us if we had the ShotSpotter." Moore is urging the city to reinstate the technology.
Deputy mayor for community safety Garien Gatewood responded: "This is not about politics. This is about how we support families and communities, and perpetuating their pain for political gain is extremely insensitive and immoral."
What they're saying: Wednesday, Moore took umbrage at the implication that he and Evans' family were seeking political gain, saying in a statement Gatewood "needs to retract his statement and issue an apology."
The other side: The mayor's office tells Axios that Gatewood was not implying the Evans family sought political gain, only Ald. Moore.
Between the lines: Like most of the City Council's Black Caucus, Moore has vigorously supported retaining ShotSpotter until the city can find a replacement technology. The city is seeking bids for alternatives.
- "Everyone has the right to be safe, and all tools should be on the table," he said in the Wednesday statement. "What's political is removing one of those important tools because of a campaign promise."
The latest: Wednesday afternoon activist and former mayoral candidate Ja'Mal Green announced, "a $2,500 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction," in the case, and asked the mayor to "turn on ShotSpotter until he has a viable alternative."