Waukegan Man Charged With Second Fatal Shooting In One Day: Cops

WAUKEGAN, IL — A 19-year-old Waukegan man has been charged in the shooting death of a man police said he had an on-going dispute with on Saturday before was involved in the shooting death of an Evanston man hours later, Waukegan Police said Wednesday.

Alejandro Lopez was charged after a 36-year-old Waukegan man was shot to death at 2:45 p.m. in the 400 block of Belvedere Road. Luis Amaya died at Vista Medical Center East, where he was taken after being found with multiple gunshot wounds.

Police found that the first victim had been shot in front of his home, according to a news release, but then were told that a second gunshot victim had been taken to the hospital after being shot. The coroner’s office said that Amaya died despite being treated at the hospital.

Waukegan Police said that Lopez and Amaya had been involved in an on-going dispute and that it escalated into a shooting that took place on Saturday. Police said that Lopez shot Amaya along with a 40-year-old man and then left the residence in a Saturn Vue.

Several hours later, police said that Lopez was one of several suspects who entered the home of an Evanston man, who was shot multiple times and died at his home at 10:45 p.m. on Saturday.

Waukegan Police do not believe there is a connection between the two shootings.

Police said Tuesday that a Saturn Vue was seen leaving the scene of the shooting. Officers attempted to pull over the vehicle after observing a traffic violation but when officers tried to stop the Saturn, it sped off. Officers lost sight of the Saturn after a brief chase, police said.

A short time later, officers located the Saturn at the Skokie Swift Station. Officers were able to stop the vehicle and detain Lopez, who was alone in the car. Officers then saw two firearms and gloves in the passenger seat in plain sight.

Detectives were able to establish that Lopez was one of the offenders. After working cooperatively with the Cook County State's Attorney's Office, detectives charged Lopez in connection with Stanley A. Butler's murder on Tuesday.

The warrant on which officers obtained for Lopez carries a $5 million bond. Lopez is being held in Cook County and will be brought to Lake County for a bond hearing, in the near future, police said Wednesday.

The incident remains under investigation by the Lake County Coroner’s Office and the Waukegan Police Department.