Two Chicago gang members were arrested Wednesday after they were allegedly involved in a May 14 shooting that targeted a family’s vehicle, leaving a 2-year-old girl wounded.
David Contreras, 18, and Rodolfo Irigoyen, 21, of the Two Six gang thought they were trailing the Latin Kings, a rival gang, as they followed and shot at the family’s Buick Encore SUV, which contained a 2-year-old, a 9-month-old, and their two parents, according to Cook County prosecutors.
Contreras, who was charged with attempted murder, admitted after he was arrested that he fired the shots, said Assistant State’s Attorney James Murphy, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.
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Irigoyen apparently admitted that he was driving the Honda Accord from which Contreras shot. He was charged with aggravated battery.
The gang members purportedly followed the family’s vehicle in the Accord while other members trailed in a minivan, with the conspirators communicating back and forth between the two. Contreras allegedly fired at least five rounds out of the Accord’s window at the family’s vehicle when it stopped at a traffic light.
Authorities found a 9 mm handgun under the seat of the Accord when the two defendants were arrested, Murphy said, noting an analysis found a “high confidence correlation” between the firearm and shell casings recovered from the scene.
The 2-year-old was wounded at the kneecap, which required surgery, and will need physical therapy to recover, the Chicago Sun-Times reported.
“I’ll note that this happened at 6 p.m. when a lot of civilians, normal people, are going to and from work, with their families, going to dinner, [and] are out on the roads,” Judge Charles Beach reportedly said during a bail hearing. “This put so many people in jeopardy.”
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Beach ordered Contreras and Irigoyen to be held without bail, and the two are scheduled to reappear in court Friday.
