A 31-year-old father of two was the victim who was fatally shot by a Mexican national “without any provocation” in Round Lake Beach, prosecutors say, adding that the gunman was “upset” over a child support dispute.
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 arrived home on Sunnyside Court.
Lopez-Aguayo was already waiting at the home to provide his ex-girlfriend with child support funds for a child they have in common, Facklam said.
The two had talked on the phone earlier in the day and Lopez-Aguayo also spoke to Rodriguez-Ruiz during that conversation.
Lopez-Aguayo approached the couple’s car and gave his ex-girlfriend money, Facklam said.
The victim got out of the car and had a brief conversation with Lopez-Aguayo behind the vehicle.
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. Rodriguez-Ruiz leaves behind two children, including a 10-year-old son.
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 and two magazines from that home.
Facklam said the female witness also told investigators that Lopez-Aguayo told her they were going to Texas after he said he had shot someone and had to leave town.
“If the defendant is released, there is a high likelihood of willful flight in that the defendant is likely to try to leave the State again,” the prosecutor 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.
A detention hearing was held on Thursday afternoon and Lake County Judge James Newman granted the petition.
Prosecutors argued he posed a danger to the community and was also a willful flight risk.
“The defendant went to his ex’s house and confronted her new boyfriend. He then shot him multiple times without any provocation. He then attempted to shoot his ex, but fortunately, the gun did not fire,” Facklam said.
“Court orders such as no contact and curfew are insufficient to ensure the protection of the victim, witnesses, and public. The defendant decided to arm himself with a firearm when he went to the victim’s house and then used the firearm without provocation,” Facklam said.
The prosecutor added that the motive for the shooting appears to be that Lopez-Aguayo was “upset” about Rodriguez-Ruiz’s involvement in a dispute over child support that Lopez-Aguayo was having with his ex-girlfriend.
Lopez-Aguayo, who said in court he is a Mexican citizen, remains held in the Lake County Jail and is scheduled to appear in court again on August 13 for a preliminary hearing.