Gunman suspected of shooting two Chicago cops believed to be in Mexico
The tactical police van that was shot at in the Back of the Yards neighborhood on May 2. Two officers were injured.| Chicago Police
CHICAGO (SUN TIMES MEDIA WIRE) - Police suspect the 17-year-old reputed gang member who investigators believe sprayed an unmarked police van with bullets from an assault rifle last month — hitting two cops — has fled to Mexico.
“He has family in Mexico,” a law enforcement source told the Chicago Sun-Times. It’s the job of the U.S. Marshals office to work with law enforcement from Mexico to collar the teen, the source said.
“It’s on ongoing investigation, so I can’t comment,” U.S. Marshals spokeswoman Belkis Sandoval said Wednesday. “But I can say this case is a priority. And we investigate all leads, even if they’re in other countries.”
The officers — one shot in the arm and hip, the other taking a bullet in the back — both survived. They’ve since been released from the hospital.
The shooting occurred on May 2 about 9 p.m. at 43rd and Halsted.
The officers were targeted by La Raza gang members who pulled up on the police vehicle in a minivan and mistook them for rival gang members, police said.
The intensity of the ensuing manhunt prompted members of the gang to share information with police about fellow gang members involved in the shooting, police said.
The alleged driver, Angel Gomez, 18, confessed and was charged with two counts each of attempted murder and aggravated battery with a firearm.
Chicago Police Supt. Eddie Johnson had this to say to the fugitive gang member shortly after the shooting: “Please know that whether you’re in Chicago, Charlotte, Los Angeles, you have to spend these next few days consistently, constantly looking over your shoulder, because know this: We are coming to bring you to justice.”