During 2023, the city of Elgin experienced a reduction in gunfire activity compared to prior years, with a total of 52 incidents reported compared to 58 in 2022 and a record-setting 66 in 2021.
But 2024 isn’t starting out so well.
In the month just ended, Elgin police responded to eight gunfire incidents, twice the amount reported last January.
The most recent incident occurred Wednesday afternoon, with EPD officers responding to the 900 block of Congdon Avenue for a report of past shots fired. EPD suspects that this incident is related to an earlier report on Tuesday in the same vicinity wherein an investigation couldn’t find evidence to substantiate the report.
Since 2016, of the 404 gunfire incidents reported, 79 have resulted in one or more victims, 62 of which were single-victim incidents. The incident with the largest victim count occurred in April of 2022, where six people were shot, also in the 900 Block of Congdon Avenue. January’s eight incidents included two involving victims.
Elgin provides a database for the public to track gunfire incidents reported in the city. It can be accessed at cityofelgin.org/shotsfiredinfo.
