Aurora police have secured a litany of felony charges through the Kane County State’s Attorney against a man and a juvenile accused in separate shootings last week.

Gabriel G. Martinez, 22, of the first block of South Lincoln Avenue, Aurora, faces charges of attempted murder, aggravated discharge of a firearm and aggravated unlawful use of a weapon in connection with July 18 drive-by shooting that occurred at around 8:25 p.m., in the 200 block of Beach Street.

Martinez was a passenger in a vehicle driven by a 16-year-old boy who drove by a residence in that block. Martinez allegedly fired several shots at a 14-year-old boy who was sitting on the front porch of a home. Neither the boy nor anyone else was hit by gunfire, but the house was struck twice by bullets. Even though police received little cooperation from the victim or others at the house, Special Operations investigators were able to identify both the suspect vehicle and establish that Martinez may have been involved. He was located at his home and taken into custody without incident at about 12:45 a.m., July 19.

Police have recovered the gun used in the shooting along with other evidence. Both the 16-year-old driver and a 16-year-old girl who was also in the vehicle at the time were not charged in relation to the shooting which police believe to be gang motivated.

In the other incident, a 17-year-old West Chicago teen has been charged as a juvenile with two counts of aggravated unlawful use of a weapon and single counts of unlawful use of a weapon, aggravated discharge of a firearm, and mob action in connection with a July 16 shooting in a church parking lot in the 600 block of Fifth Street.

According to charging documents, the 17-year-old allegedly beat a 15-year-old Aurora boy with a pipe at around 1 p.m., July 16 as the 15-year-old was walking with friends in the area of Jackson Street and North Avenue. The 15-year-old, who had a long-running personal disagreement with the suspect, then contacted him over social media and they decided to meet at the parking lot that evening to fight. Before the meeting, both teens enlisted assistance from several friends.

At around 9:15 p.m., when the 15-year-old and three of his friends drove to the parking lot, the 17-year-old fired several shots at the vehicle in which they were riding. No one was hit by the gunfire but the vehicle was struck twice. The suspect was taken into custody without incident at his home the following night and transported to the Kane County Youth Home.

No other charges have been lodged in either shooting but both investigations are ongoing and further charges have not been ruled out.

Anyone with information is asked to call Aurora Police Investigators at 630-256-5500 or Aurora Area Crime Stoppers at (630) 892-1000. Callers to Crime Stoppers are anonymous and qualify for a cash reward of up to $5000 for information that leads to any arrests. Tips can also be submitted through the Aurora Police Department’s free app available through iTunes, the Android Market, or Amazon App Store. Simply search for “My Police Department”, find the Aurora Police, and download.

SOURCE: Aurora Police Department press release

MARTINEZ, GABRIEL
Source: Aurora Police Department