Victim of Round Lake Beach shooting was dating suspect’s ex, prosecutors say
The man charged with first-degree murder in connection with a fatal shooting Sunday night in Round Lake Beach had a previous relationship and shared a child with the victim’s girlfriend, prosecutors said Tuesday.
Assistant Lake County State’s Attorney Jeffrey Facklam said during a first-appearance hearing Tuesday morning that suspect Juan U. Lopez-Aguayo, 26, visited the home where the shooting occurred to pay child support.
Kevin Rodriguez-Ruiz, 31, of Round Lake Park, was in a car with the woman on the 1200 block of Sunnyside Court when Lopez-Aguayo approached them, Facklam said.
Rodriguez-Ruiz got out and after a “brief conversation” at the rear of the vehicle, Lopez -Aguayo shot him several times, Facklam said. The shooting was captured on a Ring doorbell camera, he added.
Facklam said Lopez-Aguayo, of Round Lake Beach, then pointed a gun at his ex-girlfriend and pulled the trigger but the weapon didn’t fire.
Police responding at about 9:30 p.m. to reports of gunfire found Rodriguez-Ruiz in the street. He later was pronounced dead at Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville from multiple gunshot wounds, according to the Lake County Coroner’s Office.
Lopez-Aguayo fled but was captured Monday by Illinois State Police on Interstate 57, about six hours south of Round Lake Beach, officials said.
According to Facklam, a female passenger in Lopez-Aguayo’s vehicle said he visited her house and gave her a firearm that was later recovered there.
Lopez-Aguayo is charged with two counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted first-degree murder. He is being held in the Lake County jail pending a detention hearing scheduled for Thursday.
Speaking through an interpreter, Lopez-Aguayo said he did not have an attorney. Associate Lake County Judge Randie Bruno said a public defender would be appointed.
If convicted on the charges, Lopez-Aguayo would receive a minimum sentence of 66 years in prison according to the Lake County state’s attorney’s office.