HARRISBURG, Pa. – As Harrisburg Police continue to investigate what led up to a man being shot and killed Sunday night, family and friends of the victim are trying to make sense of the tragedy and calling for an end to the violence.
“There’s a big hole in everybody’s heart that can never be filled,” said Elizabeth Bream, step-sister of the victim.
Family members say 38-year-old Daniel Chacon was shot to death shortly after 9:30 Sunday night during a family cookout. While most people were inside, they heard gunshots. Chacon was found near the corner of S. 15th and Vernon Streets.
“Just seeing my brother dying on that floor,” said Bream. “It’s just not right.”
Chacon’s family is upset with the response times of emergency crews saying it took about a half an hour for someone to get there to help. However, Harrisburg Police say they had officers on scene 3 minutes after being dispatched.
“I think the police need to do their job when they get a phone call they need to be there, the ambulance needs to be there. You know I told them it was critical,” said Bream. “I told them he needed help, I told them he could barely breathe, and they sat there and walked from the corner to the alley and they sat there and they walked to go get the resuscitator to help him breath. Why would you walk? You know he’s suffocating himself, he couldn’t breathe. He had a bullet stuck in his stomach.”
Chacon is described by family as a person always willing to help. He was originally supposed to leave Sunday to go for training to become a truck driver but the Greyhound overbooked and he rescheduled for a Monday ticket.
“He wanted to get this job so he could help his son through college,” said Bream. “And his son didn’t have to worry about anything.”
The latest shooting, the eighth homicide for Harrisburg this year, has people calling on city leaders to end this violence. They say people in parts of Harrisburg are being given no hope of opportunity and are turning to violence.
“The opportunity is not here, they need to present opportunity. You build a community by giving a community a reason to respect the community,” said Russel Blust, a Harrisburg property owner. “When you have disrespect, this is what you get, you get shootings.”
Family and friends of Chacon plan to hold a vigil Monday night once the sun goes down near the intersection of S. 15th and Vernon Streets in Harrisburg.
