2nd Teen Charged In Fatal Birthday Party Shooting

LAKE COUNTY, IL — Nearly five months after a 19-year-old man was fatally shot outside a birthday party in Ingleside, Lake County authorities have charged a second teen in connection with the shooting, the Sheriff’s Office announced Friday.

Following the arrest of Yurem Mejia‑Gomez in October, detectives continued their investigation into the murder of Alejandro Castaneda, conducting interviews, reviewing cell phone data and submitting collected evidence for lab testing, according to a press release from the Lake County Sheriff’s Office.

On Monday, detectives presented their findings to the Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office, which approved charges against Oscar E. Arteaga, 18, of Round Lake Beach. Arteaga faces possession of a firearm without a FOID card and four counts of aggravated unlawful possession of a weapon.

He was taken into custody Thursday and is due in court later Friday, according to a news release from the Lake County Sheriff's Office.

The charges stem from the Oct. 10, 2025 shooting outside a home in the 35700 block of North Wilson Road, where Castaneda was attending a birthday party. A group that had got into an argument at the party returned in a vehicle and fired shots toward the home.

Castaneda was found in the driveway with a gunshot wound to his chest and was pronounced dead at the scene.

Earlier in the investigation, Mejia‑Gomez, also 18 years old and from Round Lake Beach, was charged with two counts of first-degree murder and one count of aggravated discharge of a firearm in connection with the fatal shooting.

Detectives linked Mejia-Gomez to the crime and searched a vehicle at a Round Lake Beach home, where a gun that is believed to have been used in the shooting was found, according to police. Authorities also found ammunition that matched the type of rounds shot during the incident.

• Murder Charges Filed Against Teen In Fatal Birthday Party Shooting