Three men have been charged in connection with the fatal shooting of two cousins in Chicago Heights on Sunday.
Alexis Mendoza, 19, and Adrian Romo-Trejo, 24, were charged with first-degree murder in the shooting deaths of cousins David Parra and Antonio Munoz.
Jesus Mendoza, 43, was charged with aggravated battery in a public way.
Parra, 30, had just returned with his wife and kids to their home in the 500 block of West 14th Place after an all-night family gathering.
His wife headed inside, expecting Parra to bring their three children into their home from the car. When she was inside, authorities say Jesus Mendoza — who was drinking at a house across the street with other neighbors — had begun arguing with Parra.
Parra told Mendoza he wasn’t looking for problems, but Mendoza punched him in the face, prosecutors said.
A fight broke out, and others who had been at the neighboring house with Mendoza came toward Parra’s house. Munoz, 32, Parra’s cousin, tried to help him and they both stepped back from the group.
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Parra then went into his car and pulled out his legally registered gun and began to fire shots toward the ground, again telling the group that he did not want problems, prosecutors said. The group backed away, but a bullet that ricocheted from the ground had grazed Jesus Mendoza in the leg, and when Mendoza realized he was struck he went inside the neighbor’s home.
Alexis Mendoza and Romo-Trejo then approached the driveway, threatening to kill Parra and Munoz, prosecutors said. Romo-Trejo grabbed Parra’s gun and began to fire until it jammed. Alexis Mendoza then grabbed the gun and unjammed it and continued firing shots.
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Responding officers found Parra and Munoz unresponsive, and they were taken by paramedics to a nearby hospital, where they were pronounced dead, according to the Chicago Heights Police Department.
The group retreated back into the home across the street and after a brief standoff with officers, 14 people were arrested, including the three suspects.
During a search of the home, officers found Parra’s gun hidden in a bucket filled with dirty water in the back of the home, prosecutors said.
Bail was denied for Alexis Mendoza and Adrian Romo-Trejo. Jesus Mendoza was held on a $100,000 D-bond.
They are expected to appear in court Sept. 20.
