Bond was set at $25,000 for a 17-year-old boy on Sunday who allegedly carried a concealed weapon to a funeral for a known gang member.
"It just highlights the need for us to be at these wakes and funerals," said Deputy Cheif of Patrol for Area North John Escalante during a press conference after the arrest on Saturday night.
Roosevelt J. Yarber was arrested and charged on Saturday after a witness told police that he had a handgun.
Escalante said Yarber was with a group of seven attending a gang funeral in the 11th District. Police did not recognize Yarber's group as being a part of the deceased's gang and pulled them aside for a "feild interviews."
The group tried to flee, but policed stopped them. During a search, police found a handgun on Yarber, according to Escalante.
The arrest comes a few days after Mayor Rahm Emanuel announced gang funerals would be considered "gang events. Which translated to increased police presence at funerals as well as searches and pat-downs outside churches and funeral homes.
The mayor's decision was made after two men were gunned down on the steps of a church during a funeral for an alleged gang member outside St. Columbanus Catholic Church. One of the men shot, 21-year-old Sherman Miller was killed. The other man, 26, was taken to the hospital in critial condition.
So far, the extra surveilance at gang funerals has led to four arrests including Yarbers, Escalante said.
"Everyone has the right to attend a funeral or wake, espcially one at a chuch, and not be the victim of gun violence," said Escalante.
