A 17-year-old boy was charged with first-degree murder Thursday in connection to the slaying of a Northside College Prep student this week on the Northwest Side, police said.
Luis R. Castejon was handed the felony charge after allegedly gunning down Emanuel Gallegos, also 17, Monday evening in the Old Irving Park neighborhood, according to Chicago police.
At 5:36 p.m., the Northside College Prep student was fatally wounded as he rode in a vehicle heading west in the 4400 block of West Addison Street, police said.
The shots came from a male standing on a corner near Schurz High School, a Chicago Public Schools campus at 3601 N. Milwaukee. Two other males were with the shooter and joined him in yelling gang slogans at Gallegos before opening fire, police said.
Gallegos was struck in the neck and rushed to Illinois Masonic Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead, the police and the Cook County medical examiner’s office said. He lived in Belmont Cragin.
On Wednesday, Chicago police circulated a picture of one of the suspects — a teenager they said was named “Luis.”
Castejon, who lives in the Cragin neighborhood on the Northwest Side, was arrested about 11:30 a.m. Wednesday in the 2400 Block of West Belmont following an investigation that identified him as Gallegos’ shooter, police said. He is scheduled to appear in bond court on Thursday.
Gallegos, one of four siblings, grew up in the city, said his father, Esteban Gallegos. The teen had been about to get a haircut at a friend’s house when his life was cut short.
The father said that he couldn’t imagine why anyone would want to harm his son.
“He never had any problems with nobody,” Esteban Gallegos said.
Contributing: Stefano Esposito and Tom Schuba.
