Two brothers have been sentenced to nine years in prison after they showed “no regard” for safety when they committed a drive-by shooting at a home occupied by children in Harvard.
McHenry County State’s Attorney Randi Freese said Miguel Mercardo, 26, and Roberto Mercado, 22, both of Walworth, Wisconsin, were each sentenced to nine years in the Illinois Department of Corrections after they pleaded guilty to a Class 1 felony charge of Aggravated Discharge of a Firearm.
The Mercado brothers are required to serve at least 85 percent of their prison sentences before being eligible for release, Freese said.
Freese said officers from the Harvard Police Department were dispatched to the 1000 block of Dewey Street in Harvard after receiving a report of shots fired at a residence and a vehicle, with no lights on, speeding away.
The call came into Harvard Police at just about 10 p.m. on March 31, 2025, court records show.
Harvard Police Chief Tyson Bauman said multiple rounds were fired, striking the garage of the home. No injuries were reported.
Authorities said approximately nine shots were fired and five struck the home, which was occupied by children and other people.
The defendants showed “no regard for their safety,” referring to the people inside the home at the time of the shooting, authorities said.
Minutes after the shooting, officers located a vehicle matching the description just a few blocks from the scene, Freese said.
She said the Mercado brothers were inside the vehicle.
A search of the car revealed several spent .22 caliber casings and several loose live .22 caliber rounds within the passenger area of the vehicle.
Inside the glove box, Freese said officers located 240 additional live .22 caliber rounds as well as a fully loaded .22 caliber semi-automatic Beretta M9 .22 LR firearm.
Forensic testing revealed that the spent shell casing from the street outside the residence was fired from the Beretta found in the vehicle.
In addition, Miguel Mercado admitted to firing at least three rounds at the Harvard home during the investigation, Freese said.
Criminal complaints filed in McHenry County Circuit Court said a drive-by shooting occurred and the offending vehicle was identified as a 2013 Chevrolet Malibu with a Wisconsin license plate.
The complaints said the two Mercados both discharged a firearm into the house from the Chevrolet at a time when the two suspects should have reasonably known the single-family residence was occupied.
The McHenry County State’s Attorney’s Office filed petitions to detain both men pending trial, arguing they pose a real and present danger to the community.
Miguel Mercado was also wanted at the time of his arrest on two failure-to-appear warrants in McHenry County for driving while his license was suspended.
Roberto Mercado was on probation at the time of his arrest for aggravated criminal sexual abuse in Harvard after he pleaded guilty to the charge in March 2024 and was sentenced to two years of probation and 100 hours of public service.
Freese commended the Harvard Police Department officers for their swift and immediate actions that resulted in the apprehension of the Mercados.
“We are especially thankful to these officers for the quick arrests made preventing further danger to the public. Thankfully, nobody was injured, and justice has been served.” Freese stated.