Woman Shot And Killed At Waukegan Bar
CHICAGO (CBS) -- A Waukegan man has been charged with killing his live-in girlfriend at a local bar early Friday.
Police responded around 1:10 a.m. to Bueno's Bar at the intersection of Franklin Street and North Avenue, where 33-year-old Elpidia Munoz-Garcia had been shot in the face. Munoz-Garcia, a mother of two and co-owner of the bar, later was pronounced dead.
Her friends left balloons at the scene late Friday morning, and held a small vigil.
"She was such a good mom, good friend. Basically, she was always with her two kids all the time, talking about her kids," her friend, Olivia Prado said.
Investigators said witnesses provided a description of the suspect's vehicle. It was later spotted several miles west, in Round Lake. Officers pursued the vehicle back to the bar in Waukegan, and took the suspect into custody. A gun was recovered at the scene of the shooting.
The suspect, 23-year-old Roberto C. Romero, has been charged with first-degree murder, according to Waukegan police. He is being held on $3 million bond.
Police said Romero and Munoz-Garcia were in a relationship, and were living together in the 400 block of South Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue, but police have not provided a motive for the shooting.
"This is Waukegan's first homicide this year. It's tragic. This is not how we want to ring in our new year. This is not how we want to start our new year. Our heart goes out to our victim," Waukegan Police Cmdr. Joe Florip said.
Romero was due for a bond hearing in Lake County on Friday.
