Man Charged With May Double Homicide In Pilsen
CHICAGO (STMW) -- A man was arrested Friday and charged with the May shooting deaths of two men in the Pilsen neighborhood.
Mario Gutierrez, 20, of the 1900 block of 21st Place, was charged with two counts of first-degree murder, according to police News Affairs.
The two men, ages 26 an 27, were sitting on the front steps of a house with friends in the 2200 block of South Leavitt Street about 12:40 a.m., when two men approached on foot and shot them, police said.
The 26-year-old was shot in the head and was dead on the scene, police said.
He was identified by the Cook County Medical Examiner's office as Alejandro Munoz of the 2300 block of South Oakley Avenue.
The 27-year-old was shot in the abdomen area and was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital where he later died, police saidl
He was identified as Esteban Alvaraz, and lived at the house where the shooting occurred, according to the medical examiner's office.
The two men were outside eating tacos when two other men approached and started talking to them about buying marijuana before shooting them, police said.
Munoz died on the stairs, but Alvaraz ran inside into the kitchen where he collapsed, according to police.
Unconfirmed dispatch reports indicate the wife of one of the men called police to report the shooting.
Police said it appears the shooting was gang-related.
But Munoz's sister-in-law, Valerie, who did not want to give her last name, disputed the claim.
"They were not gang members," she said. "They would get together and have a couple of drinks."
Munoz was "an outgoing father" to his three young children ages 3, 7, and 10, she said. She would like him to be remembered as a stay at home dad who coached his children's baseball and soccer neighborhood leagues.
Gutierrez is due Sunday in bond court.
(Source: Sun-Times Media Wire © Chicago Sun-Times 2013. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
