Wauconda men charged with 'friendly fire' shooting of teenager
A pair of Wauconda men are accused of opening fire on a vehicle in Waukegan last week but instead hitting a teenager riding in the same car with them.
Marc Sanchez, 20, and Diego Sanchez, 18, each face a charge of aggravated discharge of a firearm stemming from the Feb. 24 shooting that left a 19-year-old Waukegan man with gunshot wounds to his chest and arm, police said. Diego Sanchez - no relation to Marc - also faces two counts of aggravated unlawful use of a weapon, police said.
Also charged is Zachery Zavala, 21, of Waukegan, who faces one count of aggravated discharge of a firearm, police said.
Diego Sanchez is being held in the Lake County jail on $500,000 bail. Marc Sanchez and Zavala are in custody at the Racine County jail awaiting extradition, authorities said.
In addition to the charge from last week's shooting, Marc Sanchez is being held on a separate $1 million bail on charges alleging he shot a family member in the leg on March 9, 2019, in Waukegan, police said.
The new charges stem from an investigation Waukegan police launched Feb. 24, after police received multiple calls about gunshots heard in the area of Jackson Street and Grove Avenue.
As officers responded to the area, an area hospital reported to police that a gunshot victim was brought to its emergency room. The victim was in serious condition at the time, but has since been released from the hospital, police said.
The Waukegan Police Department's Gang Intelligence Unit believes the victim was in a black Toyota Corolla with three other individuals about 8 p.m. Feb. 24 when they encountered a second vehicle occupied by a 19-year-old Waukegan resident they knew.
Some of the occupants in the Toyota opened fire on the second vehicle and the victim was hit by "friendly fire," police said. No one else was struck.
Patrol officers responding to the original shooting scene recovered more 20 spent shell casings of three types, police said.
The gunshot victim is not facing charges, according to police.