Sheriff’s officials say a victim died Saturday days after he was flown to the hospital when he was shot while sitting in his car in Beach Park by a gunman who was reportedly hired to kill the victim.
The Lake County Sheriff’s Office was notified around 5:45 a.m. Wednesday of a shooting victim who arrived at Vista Medical Center East in Waukegan.
The Waukegan Police Department was called to the hospital and notified the sheriff’s office after it was determined that the shooting happened in the sheriff’s jurisdiction.
Lake County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Chief Christopher Covelli said the victim was shot just outside of his home in the 38400 block of North Sheridan Road in Beach Park.
Detectives learned the victim, a 46-year-old man, was sitting inside his vehicle as it was warming up.
The man, who was getting ready to leave for work, was shot multiple times at approximately 5:20 a.m., Covelli said.
A relative of the victim drove him to Vista Medical Center East for treatment after the shooting.
He was in critical condition and a medical helicopter was called to Vista Medical Center East to transfer him to a Level 1 trauma center, Covelli said.
The victim remained hospitalized in extremely critical condition and died on Saturday afternoon from his injuries.
An autopsy is being scheduled on the man, whose identity is currently being withheld.
Sheriff’s detectives determined a suspicious vehicle was seen slowly driving through the area on the prior day.
They reviewed video surveillance from the neighborhood and located a vehicle matching the description of the suspicious vehicle, Covelli said.
Detectives obtained the license plate of that vehicle and used the Flock Safety license plate reader network, which confirmed the vehicle was in the area around the time of the shooting.
Detectives notified area law enforcement that the vehicle was possibly used in the homicide, including the Mount Pleasant, WI, Police Department, which is where the registered owner was believed to reside.
Covelli said the Mount Pleasant Police Department located the owner of the vehicle, Cristian N. Ruval-Cavatorres, 28, of Mount Pleasant, Wisconsin, operating a different vehicle on Wednesday.
Police conducted a traffic stop and took Ruval-Cavatorres into custody.
Lake County sheriff’s detectives interviewed Ruval-Cavatorres and determined he was responsible for the shooting, Covelli said.
They discovered evidence indicating Ruval-Cavatorres was hired by someone to shoot and kill the victim.
Sheriff’s detectives conducted a search warrant where they recovered the firearm believed to have been used in the homicide, Covelli said.
They also recovered a telephone that Ruval-Cavatorres likely used to communicate with the person who hired him to commit the murder.
Covelli said detectives located the suspect who hired Ruval-Cavatorres in the 1600 block of Park Avenue in North Chicago around 1:30 p.m. Thursday. He was taken into custody and remains held with charges pending.
The Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office approved charges against Ruval-Cavatorres for attempted first-degree murder, aggravated battery with a firearm and aggravated discharge of a firearm.
Ruval-Cavatorres remains held in the Racine County Jail pending extradition to Lake County.
The charges are likely to be upgraded following the victim’s death.
“Senseless acts of violence have no place in our society. I am extraordinarily proud of the hard work of all our staff involved in this investigation,” Lake County Sheriff John D. Idleburg said.
“Our detectives swiftly uncovered a significant amount of evidence that led them to the offender, as well as to identifying and arresting the individual who ordered the shooting. We will continue to hold relentlessly violent offenders accountable,” Idleburg said.
The Lake County Sheriff’s Office said they thank the Mount Pleasant Police Department for their assistance in the case.