Lake County Gazette

In the wake of a recent unsettling incident near Edith Smith Middle School in Waukegan, Mary Cole, a candidate running for the position of Lake County State’s Attorney, addressed the community’s concerns about safety and the need for proactive measures.

The incident, which occurred last week, involved a shocking act of violence in broad daylight. Individuals, caught on video, were observed recklessly discharging firearms from stolen vehicles in close proximity to a middle school.

No physical injuries were reported, but the traumatic incident left an impact on the local community, particularly parents and their children.

“Last week, a terrifying incident near Edith Smith Middle School shook the community of Waukegan. In the middle of the day, men were caught on video shooting wildly from their stolen cars near a middle school,” Cole said on Facebook.

“No one was physically injured, thank God, but we must recognize that all these moms and dads and their kids have been victimized. We cannot allow these trends to continue.”

“As your State’s Attorney, I am committed to working tirelessly to make your community safer, support law enforcement, treat the accused with a dignity they do not always show others, and support the victims impacted by senseless crime.”

Multiple schools in Waukegan were briefly placed on lockdown after the incident which occurred around 8 a.m. on Friday, Sept. 29 on the 800 block of New York Street, Lake and McHenry County Scanner reported.

The shooting led to varying degrees of lockdowns in several schools, which were lifted after law enforcement declared the area safe, with schools returning to normal operations.

According to a law enforcement notification, two Kia Soul vehicles, each containing several armed male suspects, fled the scene after the shooting incident.

Video of the incident was taken by bystanders.

In it, a Kia crossover takes a turn at an intersection.

Two men in black hoodies wearing facemasks are seen sitting on the window frame of the car’s doors with their torsos extended out from the car – one out of the front passenger’s side and the other out of the rear driver’s side.

As the car passes the residents recording them the perpetrator in the rear of the vehicle pulls out a gun and those recording the video exclaim.

Cole is a stark critic of her opponent Lake County State’s Attorney Eric Rinehart.

Rinehart has been criticized heavily for being only one of two states attorneys statewide – the other being Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx – to support the Safe-T Act which went into effect on Sept. 18.

The new law disallows bail and allows criminals back on to the streets rather than being detained before trial.

Rinehart faces political vulnerability in the upcoming election as Keith Brin, Chairman of the Lake County Republican Party, criticized his emphasis on political agendas within his role.

Brin expressed concerns over Rinehart’s prioritization of politics over his responsibilities as state’s attorney, particularly in his support for the SAFE-T Act and his refusal to collaborate with states attorneys of differing political beliefs.

The Lake County Republicans released a press statement urging voters to reject Rinehart’s re-election bid, citing his far-left agenda and lack of alignment with everyday Illinoisans.