Murder-for-hire plot led to suburban Chicago shooting, 2 arrests, sheriff says

BEACH PARK, Ill. - A suspect is facing multiple charges after a north suburban shooting, which Lake County police said was part of a murder-for-hire plot.

Cristian N. Ruval-Cavatorres, 28, of Mount Pleasant, Wisconsin, was arrested and charged with attempted first-degree murder, aggravated battery with a firearm, and aggravated discharge of a firearm, according to the Lake County Sheriff’s Office.

Cristian N. Ruval-Cavatorres (Lake County Sheriff's Office)

What we know:

Police say Ruval-Cavatorres was the gunman who allegedly shot and seriously injured a man while he was warming up his car before work in north suburban Beach Park on Wednesday morning.

The 46-year-old victim was sitting in his car when he was shot and later taken to a hospital, where he remains in critical condition.

Investigators learned that the day before the shooting, a "suspicious" car was seen slowing driving through the area. After the shooting, they spotted a car that matched the description on video surveillance footage from the neighborhood and later found the car using a license plate reader system.

Investigators alerted local police departments of the suspect car tied to the shooting, including in Mount Pleasant, where the registered owner was believed to be living.

On Wednesday, Mount Pleasant police found the car’s owner, Ruval-Cavatorres, in the 1400 block of Mount Pleasant and took him into custody during a traffic stop.

Investigators determined he was allegedly responsible for the shooting after speaking with him. They also discovered evidence that the suspect was hired by someone to kill the victim.

Police found a gun believed to be used in the shooting and a phone the suspect likely used to communicate with the person who hired him to kill the victim, the sheriff’s office said.

A suspect is facing multiple charges after a north suburban shooting, which Lake County police said was part of a murder-for-hire plot. (Lake County Sheriff's Office)

Investigators also located the person who allegedly hired Ruval-Cavatorres in the 1600 block of Park Avenue in North Chicago on Thursday and took him into custody. 

Authorities did not identify that suspect and charges against him are pending, police said.

What they're saying:

"Senseless acts of violence have no place in our society," said Lake County Sheriff John D. Idleburg in a statement. "I am extraordinarily proud of the hard work of all our staff involved in this investigation. Our detectives swiftly uncovered a significant amount of evidence that led them to the offender, as well as to identifying and arresting the individual who ordered the shooting. We will continue to hold relentlessly violent offenders accountable."

Ruval-Cavatorres remains in the Racine County Jail and awaits extradition to Lake County.