Woman charged in cousin's shooting death during birthday party at Skokie hotel

SKOKIE (Sun-Times Media Wire) - A woman has been charged in connection with the shooting death of her cousin Saturday night at a hotel in north suburban Skokie.

Ariana Alcala, 23, was charged with involuntary manslaughter Monday night in connection with the death of her cousin, 22-year-old Leslie Coronel, according to a statement from Skokie police.

Coronel was found with a gunshot wound at 11:49 p.m. after officers responded to a call of shots fired at the Hampton Inn at 5201 Old Orchard Road, according to police and the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office. She was taken to Evanston Hospital, where she died at 12:28 a.m. Sunday.

An autopsy Monday found Coronel died of a gunshot wound to the face and her death was ruled a homicide, the medical examiner’s office said.

The women had been celebrating Coronel’s birthday at the time of the shooting, police said. Someone at the party injured Alcala’s eye before authorities arrived, and she was taken to a hospital for treatment.

“An investigation into the circumstances surrounding the shooting led to the arrest and charging of Alcala,” police said in the statement.

Police did not specify Alcala’s role in the shooting but said in the statement that “an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the shooting led to the arrest and charging of Alcala.”

Alcala, who lives in West Rogers Park on the city’s North Side, appeared in court for a bond hearing Tuesday, according to police. She was issued a $100,000 personal recognizance bond and released on electronic monitoring.

Police said they believed the incident was isolated and that no threat existed to the general public.