Prospect Hts. teen charged with attempted murder

A 17-year-old from Prospect Heights remained behind bars Monday on a $1.5 million bond, following his arrest on allegations he fired shots at a pair of rival gang members shortly after they stepped off a school bus.

Eduardo Lopez, of the 600 block of Pinecrest Drive, is charged with attempted murder stemming from the Oct. 28 shooting near Piper Lane and Pinecrest Drive.

No one was injured in the shooting, which police said is part of an “ongoing gang issue and presence” in the neighborhood just south of the Chicago Executive Airport.

“This shooting took place when many young children were waiting for their buses near midday,” Prospect Heights Police Chief Jamie Dunne said. “We will not tolerate this type of activity in our community and will use all of our resources to locate and charge the offenders who randomly place others in peril.”

Police Cmdr. Al Steffens said two juvenile males were charged with aggravated assault and disorderly conduct.

Police were called to the shooting scene about 11:40 a.m. Oct. 28 after a 911 caller reported two males were chasing and firing shots at two other males who were fleeing in a minivan. The offenders and victims were gone when officers arrived, police said.

Witnesses later told investigators that two gang members accosted two rival gang members who had just exited a school bus. After words and gang slogans were exchanged, a person later identified as Eduardo Lopez pulled a handgun from his pocket and proceeded to chase the other two across Piper Lane and into an office complex parking lot, according to police.

Lopez then fired into the minivan as the two victims were trying to flee, police said.

With the help of witnesses, police identified Lopez as the shooter. Several weapons, including the gun believed used in the shooting, also were recovered as part of the ongoing investigation, police reported.

If found guilty of attempted murder, Lopez would face a mandatory prison term of six to 30 years.