Four reputed gang members charged in two Waukegan shootings

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Martin Martinez

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Updated: March 5, 2012 8:04AM

WAUKEGAN — Four teens decribed by police as “documented gang members” were arrested and charged Thursday in two separate shootings late last month on Lorraine Avenue that left two people wounded.

The alleged shooter in both cases was identified by police as 16-year-old Victor Ramirez, who has been charged as an adult with felony counts that include aggravated battery with a firearm. The three other suspects also face felony charges, and all reportedly remained in custody Thursday.

Police report that the first incident took place at approximately 9:55 p.m. Jan. 21 on the 600 block of Lorraine. Officers reportedly discovered a 15-year-old female with a “glancing” wound to the top of her head. Reports state she had been inside a parked vehicle with two other children, one of which was 2 years old, and reports state the victim “sustained her wound from an offender in a passing vehicle.”

The second incident reportedly occurred on Jan. 23 at approximately 9:50 p.m., when police responded to a shooting in the 600 block of Lorraine. Police report that upon arrival, officers found a 19-year-old male victim shot in the back.

“The victim was taken to Condell Medical Center and underwent surgery,” police reported late Thursday in a statement. “Officers located two .45-caliber shell casings at the crime scene. The hospital removed a .45-caliber projectile from the victim. The offender in this case was on foot as he shot at the victim.”

Police detectives began a thorough investigation into both shootings. Detectives discovered that four offenders were involved in the shooting on Jan. 21, with two of those offenders being also involved in the shooting on Jan. 23. All four offenders are documented street gang members.”

Ramirez was also charged as an adult with two counts of aggravated discharge of a firearm and two counts of aggravated unlawful use of a weapon by a street gang member. Reports state Ramirez was held Thursday at Lake County Jail on $1 million bond.

The alleged driver in the first shooting was identified by police as 17-year-old Martin Martinez, who was also charged as an adult with aggravated battery with a firearm, aggravated discharge of a firearm, and aggravated unlawful use of a weapon by a street gang member.

Police report Martinez was held Thursday on a $500,000 bond at Lake County Jail, and that he had just completed probation in October 2011 for a robbery arrest.

Reports state that a 14-year-old juvenile who allegedly was also present at both shootings is charged with two counts of aggravated unlawful use of a weapon by a street gang member, two counts of felony mob action, and one count of unlawful contact with street gang members, which is a violation of his probation status for a Waukegan burglary and arson arrest from August 2011.

Police reportedly received information that the arson charges were dropped, but he was still charged with the burglary.

Another 16-year-old juvenile was charged with aggravated unlawful use of a weapon by a street gang member and one count of felony mob action. Both juveniles reportedly were being held Thursday at the Hulse Juvenile Detention Center in Vernon Hills.

Police Chief Daniel Greathouse said in the statement that “I want to commend the detectives of our newly formed Gang Intelligence Unit for their outstanding work on these two shootings. Gang-related shootings are one of the most difficult crimes to solve because the victims and witnesses rarely cooperate with police.

“The common denominator in these shootings was the residence, which not surprisingly is a rental property,” he said. “The residence was home to a mother and her children. One of the children is a 20-year-old, self-admitted gang member, who Waukegan (police) arrested in July for shooting a rival gang member, and is currently out on bond awaiting trial.”

Greathouse added that “the four gang members arrested this week indicated that they committed the shootings because they believe the 20-year-old son from the residence shot at them two days prior. I personally met with the 20-year-old son at the residence, and advised him that for the safety of his family and this neighborhood, he should move out of this community immediately. I was advised he no longer lives at the residence.”