A judge denied pre-trial release to a man who prosecutors say opened fire during a shooting that left a 21-year-old man dead at a Mundelein shopping center and then hid the murder weapon.
Joaquin Romero, 20, of Mundelein, was charged with aggravated unlawful use of a weapon and obstructing justice, both Class 4 felonies.
The Mundelein Police Department responded around 7:10 p.m. Monday to the Lake Plaza shopping center in the 700 block of South Lake Street for a report of shots fired.
Lake County Assistant State’s Attorney Colleen McConnell said investigators learned Romero and his two friends were at Jay’s Liquors in one of his friend’s cars, a tan Acura.
Three others, including Luis Moreno, 21, of Wheeling, were also at the liquor store in a dark-colored Infiniti.
Romero, who was sitting in the backseat of the Acura, pulled out a gun and fired multiple shots in the direction of Moreno, McConnell said.
McConnell said Moreno was struck by the gunfire.
Lake County Assistant State’s Attorney Jeffrey Facklam said officers responding to reports of shots fired found a pool of blood in the parking lot of Jay’s Liquor but no victims were initially located.
Officers soon learned Moreno was transported by private car to Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville where he was pronounced dead, according to Lake County Major Crime Task Force Spokesman Christopher Covelli.
An autopsy performed Tuesday showed Moreno suffered from multiple gunshot wounds, according to Lake County Coroner Jennifer Banek.
The Lake County Major Crime Task Force was called to the scene to assist Mundelein police detectives with the investigation.
A heavy police presence was seen for hours around the eastern side of the shopping complex near Jay’s Liquors, ACTION Martial Arts and Supermercado Gisselle.
Crime scene tape was set up in the parking lot and officers were photographing the scene and going in and out of the businesses.
Both of Romero’s friends told investigators that the shots came from the backseat of the Acura, McConnell said.
The friends also reported that the occupants of the Infiniti were armed with a gun but that none of them discharged it.
Investigators found a bullet hole in the backseat window of the Infiniti that originated from inside the car.
McConnell said a discharged casing was recovered from the back of the car and investigators learned that additional casings had already been removed from the car.
Romero admitted to multiple people that he was involved in the shooting and one witness told investigators he saw Romero possess a gun, McConnell said.
McConnell said Romero later no longer had the gun and told multiple people he got rid of it.
Romero does not have a Firearm Owner’s Identification card (FOID) or concealed carry license.
“Not only was he armed with it [the firearm], he discharged it multiple times and then disposed of it,” McConnell said.
Investigators have not recovered the gun yet and they believe it was discarded in a way that someone else could come across it.
The Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office filed a petition to detain Romero pending trial.
McConnell called Romero a threat to the safety of the community and said his willingness to carry the gun and discharge it is evidence of his danger.
Romero was previously petitioned on charges of felony unlawful restraint and domestic battery while he was a juvenile in 2022.
Romero was located on Tuesday and arrested without incident in Round Lake, Covelli said.
McConnell also argued that Romero, knowing he is being investigated in the murder, could pose a threat to the witnesses in the case should he be granted pre-trial release.
Attorney Luis Albarran, who is representing Romero, argued for his client’s release from custody and said Romero is not charged with homicide or murder but instead Class 4 felonies.
Lake County Judge Michael Nerheim granted the state’s petition and remanded Romero to the Lake County Jail pending trial following a detention hearing Wednesday afternoon.
Covelli said Major Crime Task Force investigators and Mundelein police detectives continue to actively investigate the homicide.
Romero is set to appear in court again on January 7 for a preliminary hearing.