The city sued Enrique Badillo Sr. in March 2020 after a man was shot during a party at the home. The lawsuit, which demanded that Badillo to add fencing and security cameras, wasn’t served for more than a year because the city could not reach Badillo — who works for the city.
A Chicago police officer has been stripped of his police powers while the police department investigates whether he allowed dangerous living conditions to fester in a home he owned that was the site of a mass shooting in Englewood earlier this week, a CPD spokesman said Friday.
Enrique Badillo Sr., who owned a building on the 6200 block of South Morgan Street, was facing a lawsuit from the city demanding that he install fencing, heavy-duty locks and security cameras to make the property safer.
But the lawsuit stalled because, for more than a year, the city could not reach Badillo, who doesn’t live in the home.
When a mass shooting erupted inside the house early Tuesday, the city had still not made contact with Badillo. Then, two days after the shooting, the city finally reached him, Kristen Cabanban, a city Law Department spokeswoman, said Thursday.
Badillo, who resides in Logan Square, hasn’t responded to attempts by the Sun-Times to seek comment.
An inspector last checked the home, in the 6200 block of South Morgan Street, in January 2020, but was able to examine only the exterior of the building. The inspector found several code violations, including broken windows and an unsafe staircase and porch. Each of those violations totaled over $10,000 in fines plus $1,000 per day for each violation since the inspection.
The city filed a “public nuisance” suit in March 2020 after a man was shot during a large party inside the home, a two-story wood-frame structure with a gray stone front. According to the lawsuit, it was filed to “take action to abate criminal activity” at the home.
In its filing, the city listed a series of actions the city could take to enforce their demands. This included evicting the home’s residents and making Badillo install security fencing, gate locks, outdoor lighting, security cameras and even hire a security guard.
There have been few details released by police about Tuesday’s shooting that killed four people and left four others wounded. It remains unclear if any of the victims from the mass shooting were living in the home when the lawsuits were originally filed.
The shooting occurred early Tuesday; police say someone broke into the home some time before 5:40 a.m. that day and opened fire,
Killed Ratanya Aryiel Rogers, 28, mother of a young boy; were Denice Mathis, 32, a mother of four boys; Shermetria Williams, 19, the mother of a 2-year-old girl; and Blake Lee, 34, who lived in the home and did odd jobs in the neighborhood.
Relatives Lee, said he lived at the home where he did odd jobs in the neighborhood.
The four who were seriously wounded included James Tolbert, another victim seriously wounded, ran a barbershop from the house. Tolbert’s girlfriend and their 2-year-old daughter also lived in the home. The girlfriend remains in critical condition while the girl was not shot but still taken to the hospital for observation.
Contributing: David Struett and Madeline Kenney
