Manhunt For Homicide Suspect From Wheeling Ends With Arrest: Police

MUNDELEIN, IL — Following a manhunt for a former Wheeling resident accused of shooting an 18-year-old man to death in Mundelein in 2020, police announced Tuesday an arrest has been made. Alessis Botello, 21, is accused of two counts of first-degree murder and was arrested during a targeted police operation at his residence in Mexico.

Mundelein police said that agents from the FBI, along with other local law enforcement partners, have been searching for Botello since May 2020. On May 28, 2020, Botello is accused of shooting Gavile Jackson, 18, in the 300 block of North Lake Street. Jackson, of Mundelein, was taken to Advocate Condell Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.

After being taken into custody, Botello was transported back to the United States and turned over to the custody of the Mundelein Police Department. Botello is currently in the custody of the Lake County Jail, with a bond hearing scheduled for Wednesday.

At the time of the incident in 2020, Mundelein police concluded that "based on the circumstances, the victim appears to have been specifically targeted and this was not a random act of violence."

"The shooting stemmed from a disagreement between a small group of people who knew each other," Sgt. Chris Covelli, a spokesman for the Lake County Major Crimes Task Force, said. "They had gathered for an exchange that may have been drug related."

Mundelein Police investigators used witness information and surveillance footage to identify Botello.