Feds seek 30 months for Mexican man who fired shots near Border Patrol agents in Chicago

CHICAGO - Federal prosecutors are asking a judge to sentence a Mexican man to 30 months in prison after he admitted to firing shots near U.S. Border Patrol agents in Chicago's Little Village neighborhood last year.

The backstory:

Hector Gomez, 46, pleaded guilty in April to unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon.

Hector Gomez (Chicago police)

Gomez admitted in a plea agreement that he fired at least two rounds from a pistol on Nov. 8, 2025, while driving a Jeep Wrangler near 2541 S. Kedzie Ave., where federal agents were conducting operations as part of "Operation Midway Blitz."

Later that day, Gomez drove to a parking lot near 3132 W. 26th St., got out of his vehicle and brandished the same handgun at another person while "laughing profusely" before returning to the Jeep, according to court records.

Chicago police responded minutes later, arrested Gomez and recovered the firearm.

Hector Gomez is seen during his arrest in Little Village on Nov. 8, 2025, for illegal gun possession. (Court records)

Prosecutors said Gomez's actions put Border Patrol agents, pedestrians and drivers at risk on a busy Little Village street. They also noted he had been drinking before the shooting.

What's next:

Gomez's sentencing hearing is scheduled for July 20.

Prosecutors are asking the judge to sentence Gomez to 30 months in prison and impose one year of supervised release.

Authorities said Gomez is a citizen of Mexico who had been living in Chicago and is subject to removal from the United States following the case. He has been removed from the country at least four times between 2008 and 2015.