Teen gunman pleads guilty to murdering mistaken gang rival

A 19-year-old Aurora man pleaded guilty to first-degree murder charges stemming from the death of a mistaken gang rival in 2021.

Fidel Bello faces life in prison at his sentencing hearing May 31, said Kane County State's Attorney Jamie Mosser.

Bello and another Aurora man were arrested a day after authorities say Bello shot and killed 46-year-old North Aurora resident Samuel Ortiz-Rodriguez outside a house on the 400 block of South Spencer Street May 24, 2021.

Authorities said Bello - who was 17 at the time of the shooting - and fellow gang member Cesar Ponce were walking through a part of Aurora considered to be part of a rival gang's territory when they confronted Ortiz-Rodriguez outside a house thinking he was a member of a rival gang.

Ortiz-Rodriguez was not a member of any street gang, police said.

An argument erupted between the three men, ending with Bello shooting Ortiz-Rodriguez twice.

The pair fled after the shooting, but witnesses were able to assist police in identifying the suspects.

Ponce was convicted of first-degree murder following a jury trial last month. His sentencing is scheduled for May 3 where he faces a minimum 35-year prison sentence.

Bello faces a minimum 20 years in prison for pleading guilty to first-degree murder. He faces an additional 25-year sentence with the possibility of life behind bars for personally firing the gun that killed Ortiz-Rodriguez, Mosser said.