Police: Teen Gang Member Charged In Des Plaines Murder
DES PLAINES, Ill. (STMW) - A bullet recovered from a tire outside a murder scene led to charges against a 16-year-old gang member in the death of a Des Plaines man last week, police said.
The teen is charged as a juvenile with aggravated discharge of a firearm and possession of a firearm by a gang member, Des Plaines police said Tuesday evening.
He's accused of killing 26-year-old Eliseo Mercado about 10:15 p.m. July 22.
Officers responded to a confrontation involving a group of rival gang members in a parking lot of the town homes at Pine Court and Everett Avenue in Des Plaines, where an alleged gangster fired shots and struck Eliseo Mercado, who was also in the group, Des Plaines police Chief Jim Prandini said.
A person with Mercado drove him a couple of blocks away to Mercado's home, 2019 Pine St., and parked in the lot there. Mercado was pulled out of the car, but he "couldn't move" and emergency crews took him to Advocate Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge where he later died, Prandini said.
Investigators learned Mercado and two other gang members had driven to the townhouse complex at Pine Court and began arguing with three rival gang members who were standing in the parking lot. During the argument, the 16-year-old gang member took out a gun and shot Mercado twice in the chest, a release from police said.
He also fired another shot at Mercado's "associate," but missed and the second bullet was recovered from the tire of a vehicle parked in the lot, the release said. An extensive canvas of the area and information developed from other sources led to the identification of all parties who participated in the initial "disturbance."
The teen has been positively identified as the shooter and is a resident of Des Plaines. He has been taken to the juvenile detention facility in Chicago, the release said.
Police said the investigation is continuing and additional criminal charges are possible.
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