The emergency room at OSF Saint Francis Medical Center might treat one heroin overdose in a typical mid-June week. Last week there were nine. Two people died.
Some arrive via ambulance, others get dumped on the doorstep, a needle literally still stuck in the arm. Other than the drug, there is one common theme: Almost always, the victims are young, white males from affluent areas around Peoria. Source
Violent crime task force
A violent crime task force is now being formed to patrol "hot spots" where gun violence has recently been on the rise. The shooting of Roberico King was the seventh homicide of the year and the Police Cheif is reporting that "50% of gun violence so far this year has taken place in the last six weeks alone."
Points of focus for the 16-officer team will be - a strip of South Peoria between Starr and Garden streets just west of South Western Avenue and an area of Howett Street just east of Western. Additionally included is a portion of the East Bluff near the intersection of McClure Avenue and University Street.Source
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