Suspect arrested in shooting of ATF agent in Chicago
CHICAGO -- Federal authorities have charged a 27-year-old Chicago man in the shooting of an ATF agent in Chicago last week.
The suspect, Ernesto Godinez, made a brief appearance Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Chicago to hear the charges against him.
A complaint charges him with forcible assault of a Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives agent in the Friday shooting. If convicted, he faces up to 20 years in prison.
The unidentified ATF agent was conducting a surveillance operation on the city's South Side May 4 when he was ambushed. Chicago Police said they were working on a joint operation with ATF when the agent was shot in the face, and the bullet exited through his cheekbone. The agent and a Chicago police officer returned fire but did not strike the offenders.
Hundreds of officers had been searching for the gunman, who turned himself in with his lawyer Tuesday morning, sources tell CBS Chicago. He has an extensive criminal record, including a conviction for attempted murder in 2011, the station reports.
The wounded agent is part of Chicago's Gun Strike Force formed last year to cut the number of illegal guns in the city. He was rushed to the hospital in critical condition, but is expected to recover.
More than 50 federal agents packed courtroom benches and an overflow room in solidarity with the injured agent.
A bond hearing is set for May 17. Godinez has yet to enter a plea.
