Man murdered two teenagers while on pretrial release for gun charges, Chicago police say

From left: Adrian Sanchez, Carlos Galindo and Miguel Meza. (Chicago Police Division, Nationwide Gun Violence Memorial)

CHICAGO — Prosecutors have charged a 25-year-old man with murdering two youngsters in a drive-by taking pictures final summer time in Again of the Yards. The accused man, Adrian Sanchez, was on pretrial launch on the time of the murders, awaiting trial for being a felon in possession of a firearm, court docket data present.

Chicago police arrested Sanchez in October 2023 and charged him with illegally possessing a firearm within the 4600 block of South Honore, a few blocks from the place the 2 boys would later be murdered. A grand jury upgraded the fees towards Sanchez to possession of a firearm by a felon.

Then, round 6 p.m. on August 3, 2024, a drive-by gunman shot and killed Miguel Meza, 15, and Carlos Galindo, 17, within the 4800 block of South Winchester, police stated. On Saturday, CPD introduced that Sanchez is being charged with the murders.

Extra particulars concerning the case can be revealed throughout Sanchez’s detention listening to on Saturday afternoon.

Meza and Galindo have been each taken to Comer Kids’s Hospital, the place they succumbed to their accidents.

“My son checked out me and blinked, and I fell,” Garcia’s mom, Ofelia Garcia, informed Solar-Occasions final 12 months. “They usually informed me he’s supplying you with his final farewell.”

“My son is gone,” Garcia stated. “That was my child, I want they might have taken me as a substitute of him.”

Sanchez is the thirty second individual accused of killing or taking pictures—or making an attempt to kill or shoot—somebody in Chicago final 12 months whereas having a felony case pending. The instances contain 48 victims, 14 of whom died.

On September 19, 2024, 5 weeks after Galindo and Meza have been killed, prosecutors dropped the firearms case that Sanchez was going through.

The “not horrible” sequence

This report continues our protection of people accused of killing, taking pictures, or making an attempt to kill or shoot others on pretrial launch for a felony allegation. CWBChicago started our sequence of stories in November 2019 after Prepare dinner County Chief Choose Timothy Evans publicly acknowledged, “We haven’t had any horrible incidents happen” beneath the court docket’s bond reform initiative.

On September 18, 2023, Illinois eradicated money bail solely. Our “not horrible” continues.The precise variety of murders and shootings dedicated by folks awaiting trial for felony allegations is undoubtedly a lot larger than the numbers seen right here. Since 2017, CPD has introduced fees in lower than 5% of non-fatal shootings and 33% of murders, in accordance with the town’s information.