Round Lake teen charged in shooting of two men in Palatine
A Round Lake teen was ordered held on $1.5 million bail Friday on charges of attempted first-degree murder in Dec. 10 gang-related shooting in Palatine that critically injured a 17-year-old.
Xavier Salinas, 19, is accused of driving the car from which a fellow gang member, who has not been charged, fired shots that injured two rival gang members, Cook Count assistant state's attorney Maria McCarthy said during Salinas' bond hearing. The shooting took place about 7:30 p.m. Dec. 10 in the 1900 block of North Green Lane.
Both shooting victims were taken to Advocate Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge.
A 35-year-old man was struck in the buttock and treated and released, McCarthy said. The 17-year-old fell to the ground after being grazed by two bullets and was shot seven more times as he lay there, McCarthy said. One of the bullets lodged in his spine. He remains in critical condition in a medically induced coma. If he survives, he will likely be paralyzed from the neck down, McCarthy said.
The shooting followed a meeting between two Chicago gang leaders, described as "uncharged co-offenders," and the leader of the gang's suburban counterpart about increasing the profile of the suburban faction, prosecutors said.
The suburban gang leader informed Salinas he had to "put in more work ... to improve his position within the gang," McCarthy said, adding that "put in more work" meant shooting, stabbing or beating up a rival gang member.
McCarthy said Salinas, in a car belonging to his girlfriend, drove the uncharged co-offenders to an apartment complex known as a hangout for rival gang members, As Salinas drove past the two males and a witness, one of his passengers shouted gang slogans and flashed gang signs. Salinas parked his car nearby and one of the uncharged co-offenders, wearing a hoodie armed with a 9 mm gun, jumped a fence, approached the victims and fired, then ran back to the car, McCarthy said. Salinas then drove them to Chicago.
Prosecutors say several witnesses described the car Salinas was driving and surveillance video shows him parking it just before the shooting. Additionally, a resident of the apartment complex reported seeing a man with a hoodie jump a fence, put something in his pocket and jump the fence again, McCarthy said.
Salinas, who has a misdemeanor DUI and a resisting arrest charge pending in Lake County, next appears in court Dec. 31.