Search continues for Des Plaines gunman

Des Plaines police continued to pursue leads Sunday as they search for the gunman responsible for the fatal shooting of 26-year-old Eliseo Mercado over the weekend.

Mercado was shot at 10:15 p.m. Friday during a spat between rival gang members in the parking lot of the townhouses at Pine Court and Everett Avenue.

During a scuffle, gunfire erupted and Mercado was shot in the chest. He later died at Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge.

Des Plaines Police Chief Jim Prandini said Sunday that the Major Case Assistance Team (MCAT) has joined the investigation.

“We’re working with the Major Case Assistance Team to follow up leads and conduct numerous interviews of people who live right in the vicinity of where this happened and other people who might be able to provide us with information,” he said.

Prandini characterized the spot where the death occurred as a high crime area, which has had some recurring gang problems.

Prandini said Mercado was involved with gangs, and investigators are trying to pin down which rival gang members were at the scene.

“I’m going to try and sugarcoat it. It is an issue involving two gangs. We have had some bantering back and forth between them, but certainly nothing of the level of violence that took place Friday night,” he said.

Prandini said the police have had contact with the victim in the past, but not for violent crimes. On Sunday, he said investigators were making some headway in their search for the gunman.

“We’re making some pretty good progress at this point,” he said. “We’re not going to rest until we don’t have any more leads to follow.”