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Lake County teen charged in fatal shooting outside birthday party, sheriff says

By Lauren Westphal
Published  October 11, 2025 4:36pm CDT
Crime and Public Safety
FOX 32 Chicago

The Brief

    • A 19-year-old Round Lake man was shot and killed late Saturday while attending a birthday party in Ingleside, police said
    • Deputies found the victim in a driveway with a gunshot wound to the upper body. He later died.
    • Investigators say a group that had argued with partygoers left, then drove by and opened fire before fleeing.

UPDATE: A suspect has been arrested and charged in connection with the shooting, according to the Lake County Sheriff's Office.

Deputies identified the alleged shooter as Yurem Mejia-Gomez, 18, of Round Lake Beach by identifying the vehicle involved in the shooting. Investigators found the gun suspected to have been used in the car.

Yurem Mejia-Gomez (Lake County Sheriff's Office)

Mejia-Gomez was charged with first-degree murder and aggravated discharge of a firearm. He was due to appear in court on Sunday.

"Our patrol deputies, detectives, and explosive detection canine team worked tirelessly to identify and apprehend the person responsible for this senseless act of violence," said Lake County Sheriff John D. Idleburg, in a statement. "Their swift and thorough investigation demonstrates the dedication of our team to ensuring that those who harm others are held accountable as quickly as possible."

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INGLESIDE, Ill. - A 19-year-old man has died after a shooting in Ingleside, according to the Lake County Sheriff's Office.

What we know:

On Saturday, Lake County Sheriff's officers responded to a report of shots fired in the 35700 block of North Wilson Road. When deputies arrived, a 19-year-old man of Round Lake was in the driveway of the home with a gunshot wound to his upper body around 11:15 p.m. Officials attempted life-saving efforts, but the man was pronounced dead at the scene.

He was identified by the Lake County coroner as 19-year-old Alejandro Castaneda of Round Lake Beach. An autopsy indicated he died from a gunshot wound to the chest.

An investigation revealed Castaneda was at the Ingleside residence attending a birthday party. A group arrived at the party, and got into an argument with a group of partygoers. The argumentative group left the party, but after they got into their cars to leave, they drove by the residence and began shooting, hitting Castaneda in the driveway. The group fled the scene.

Lake County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigations Division is investigating the incident.

The Source: Details for this story were provided by the Lake County Sheriff's Office.

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