Prosecutors say a Mexican national fatally shot his ex-girlfriend’s boyfriend while the two were talking and then also tried killing the woman but his gun did not fire Sunday evening in Round Lake Beach.
Juan U. Lopez-Aguayo, 26, of Round Lake Beach, was charged with two counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted first-degree murder.
The Round Lake Beach Police Department and Greater Round Lake Fire Protection District responded around 9:30 p.m. Sunday to the 1200 block of Sunnyside Court in Round Lake Beach for a report of shots fired and a person shot.
Officers arrived and found an adult male in the roadway suffering from a gunshot wound, Round Lake Beach Police Chief Ryan Rodriguez said.
Lake County Coroner Jennifer Banek identified the victim on Monday as Kevin Rodriguez-Ruiz, 31, of Round Lake Park.
Rodriguez-Ruiz did not have a pulse, according to fire department radio traffic.
Paramedics transported Rodriguez-Ruiz to Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville, where he was later pronounced dead.
Lake County Assistant State’s Attorney Jeffrey Facklam said Rodriguez-Ruiz’s girlfriend was at the scene of the shooting.
Investigators learned that Rodriguez-Ruiz and his girlfriend were in a car on Sunnyside Court.
Lopez-Aguayo arrived to provide his ex-girlfriend with child support funds for a child they have in common.
The victim got out of the car and had a brief conversation with Lopez-Aguayo behind the vehicle, Facklam said.
Facklam said Lopez-Aguayo pulled out a gun and shot the victim multiple times. The incident was captured on a Ring camera.
Lopez-Aguayo then pointed the gun at his ex-girlfriend and pulled the trigger but the gun did not fire, Facklam said. He fled in his car.
Prosecutors did not mention any physical struggle or provocation that resulted in the shooting.
The Lake County Coroner’s Office responded to the hospital and performed an autopsy on Rodriguez-Ruiz on Monday.
The autopsy showed Rodriguez-Ruiz died as a result of multiple gunshot wounds, Banek said.
An alert was broadcast to area police departments through the Illinois State Police Emergency Radio Network (ISPERN) after the homicide.
“With assistance from the Illinois State Police, the suspect was located and taken into custody,” Rodriguez said.
Lopez-Aguayo fled the scene in his 2009 Infiniti and was observed traveling southbound on Interstate 57 near the Champaign area, according to ISPERN radio traffic.
Troopers from Troop 10, which is the southernmost district for Illinois State Police, later stopped Lopez-Aguayo and arrested him on I-57 near Marion shortly after 3 a.m. Monday, according to radio traffic.
When officers arrested Lopez-Aguayo during the traffic stop, a woman was also in the car.
She told investigators that Lopez-Aguayo had come to her home earlier and given her a firearm to stash in her house before they left and began driving downstate, Facklam said. Police later recovered the gun.
“Based on the information currently available, authorities believe there is no ongoing threat to the community,” the police chief said.
Crime scene tape surrounded a Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck that was stopped in the middle of the street with its doors open in the 1200 block of Sunnyside Court.
A neighbor told Lake & McHenry County Scanner that she heard around five gunshots.
Round Lake Beach police officers and detectives were seen interviewing neighbors, scouring Sunnyside Court for any evidence and taking photos in and around the Chevrolet Silverado.
A pair of jeans and shoes were seen on the ground next to the Chevrolet.
A light tower was later brought in to provide extra lighting for investigators.
Rodriguez said detectives and crime scene investigators conducted a thorough investigation that led to the charges.
“This investigation involved multiple interviews with witnesses, and the recovery of numerous items of digital, physical, and firearm related evidence,” Rodriguez said.
“The Round Lake Beach Police Department would like to thank Illinois State Police Troop 10 for their assistance with this investigation,” he added.
Lopez-Aguayo appeared in First Appearance Court on Tuesday morning and the Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office filed a petition to detain him pending trial.
Lake County Judge Randie Bruno scheduled a detention hearing for Thursday afternoon.
Lopez-Aguayo, who said in court he is a Mexican citizen, remains held in the Lake County Jail until the hearing.