An 18-year-old man accused of fatally shooting a 15-year-old boy and wounding another teen was wearing an electronic ankle monitor when the shooting took place last month on the city’s Southwest Side, according to prosecutors.
Santino Hernandez, who faces a charges of first-degree murder and possession of a firearm with a defaced serial number, was ordered held without bail by Cook County Judge Mary Marubio on Sunday during a bond hearing at the Leighton Criminal Court Building. He is the third person charged in the Oct. 26 double shooting that left 15-year-old Jeyson Gonzalez dead and wounded a 14-year-old boy.
Ariel Mena, 17, and Flora Perez, 18, also face murder charges in the case. Hernandez and Mena are alleged members of the Gangster Two-Six gang, and the shooting took place in Satan Disciples territory in the Brighton Park neighborhood, according to prosecutors.
About 3:30 p.m. Oct. 26, Gonzalez, the 14-year-old boy and three others were walking home from Kelly High School in the 4400 block of South Maplewood Avenue when a Pontiac minivan passed by.
Mena, who was inside the van with Perez and Herndanez, flashed a gang sign at the group, prompting Gonzalez to flash a Satan Disciples gang signal back, according to prosecutors. Herenandez and Mena then told Perez to drive the minivan around the block and into a nearby alley.
Hernandez and Mena got out of the van, and Hernandez talked to Gonzalez about the Satan Disciples. As Gonzalez was walking away, Hernandez pulled out a gun and opened fire, striking Gonzalez three times on his side, prosecutors said in court. The 14-year-old boy was shot once in the back.
Surveillance video later showed the minivan, which was registered to Hernandez’s mother, speeding away from the crime scene, according to prosecutors.
Gonzalez, of the 5700 block of South Damen Avenue in West Englewood, was pronounced dead at Stroger Hospital, and the 14-year-old boy was taken in serious condition to Stroger Hospital.
Police officers searching Hernandez’s home found a revolver in his bedroom that ballistics testing indicated was the gun used during the shooting, according to prosecutors.
During the shooting, Hernandez was wearing an electronic ankle monitor because of a 2016 juvenile case stemming from a charge of unlawful use of a weapon, according to prosecutors.
In addition, detectives reviewed Facebook messages between Mena and Hernandez before and after the shooting. Mena sent one message that included the photo of the slain teen and wrote “LMAO,” according to prosecutors.
Hernandez is a senior at Innovations High School. No one in the courtroom gallery stood up to indicate they were relatives when the case was called. He is expected to appear again in court later this week.
Chicago Tribune’s William Lee contributed.
