Your friends and family miss and love you, Omar Flores

Memorial for the late Omar Flores as photographed by Carl Nyberg

Albany Park may no longer be Little Beirut, but its residents are still dying here, every year. Twenty-one year old Omar Flores, a known gang member according to police, died last week after being shot in the head in broad daylight. He was one of three victims that were killed by gun violence last week. The other 25 people that were shot last week survived. But this isn't a post about gun violence and gang statistics, because Flores is not just a statistic. From the Chicago Tribune:

About 3:10 p.m. Tuesday, a 21-year-old man was shot while sitting in the passenger seat of a vehicle in the 4700 block of North Lawndale Avenue when two males, both wearing hooded sweatshirts, approached on foot and opened fire, police said.

Flores died the next day. As of Saturday, no one has been charged with murder. Flores mother, in DNAinfo:

"You can't imagine the feeling of a mother losing her only son and he was my youngest," said Ortiz, who also has two daughters.

 The makeshift sidewalk memorial was photographed this Sunday at Ainslie and Ridgeway.

You can print guns from a 3D printer now!

I find this terrifying...and it throws a wrench in the whole gun control/gang violence debate.

Take Congressman Mike Quigley's Survey on Gun Violence

It's actually only one question, but a good one.

And here is Quigley with some NIU students recently, taken from his official Twitter stream. (In case you can't tell, I also think Quigley is a good civil servant.)

 

Gunman Killed by Albany Park Police this morning

Happened around 4am on Wilson Ave, reports all the presses. The man was speeding down Wilson and probably drunk as he crashed into & sideswiped a bunch of parked cars before getting out of his vehicle and shooting at the approaching police.

The two officers suffered "bruises and contusions" when they dove for cover.  

Police Shoot, Kill Man in Albany Park After Exchanging Gunfire

Read more: http://www.dnainfo.com/chicago/20130316/albany-park/police-shoot-kill-man-albany-park-after-exchanging-gunfire#ixzz2NjOyVx3F

Police shoot, kill man in Albany Park neighborhood 

 Read more: http://www.suntimes.com/news/18893726-418/police-shoot-kill-man-in-albany-park-neighborhood.html

Police: Man killed after exchanging gunfire with officers

Read more, with video: http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/chi-police-kill-man-in-albany-park-20130316,0,4396546.story