Man Shot to Death in Aurora; Police Seeking Suspects

Aurora Police are investigating the shooting death of a 24 year old man that occurred on the City’s Near East side Friday afternoon.

At about 2:35 p.m., police responded to a shooting at a home in the 200 block of Schiller Street. Officers discovered the victim, Anthony J. Kostrzewa, whose last known address is in the 100 block of N. Campbell Avenue in Chicago, suffering from at least one gunshot wound in the back yard, police said.

According to the preliminary investigation, a dark gray pickup-type vehicle occupied by at least three men pulled up to the home and two men, at least one of whom was armed with a handgun, exited the vehicle and approached Kostrzewa and two other men who were standing in the front yard, police said. The other two men ran into the house, but Kostrzewa was chased to the back yard, where he was hit by at least one of multiple shots fired by at least one of the suspects.

The two suspects, described only as male Hispanics in dark clothing, then reentered the vehicle and it took off southbound on Schiller to eastbound Fenton Street. Kostrzewa was pronounced dead at the scene, police said.

Detectives believe the shooting is not random and that gang motivation may have played a factor.

The home where the murder took place was the scene of a drive-by shooting at 1:10 a.m. Thursday, according to police, who said no one was injured in that incident and the home sustained $200 in damage to its exterior. There were no suspect descriptions in that shooting.

Anyone with any information on either incident should 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. Search for “My Police Department”, find the Aurora Police, and download.