A known gang member from Elgin man has been charged with first degree murder in the shooting death of a five-year-old boy last week, police said.Miguel Hernandez Jr., 27, will appear in bond court Saturday morning in Rolling Meadows to face a first degree murder charge, said Sue Olafson, spokeswoman for the Elgin Police Department.
Police say Hernandez shot at a car that was backing out of a driveway in the 900 block of Elma Avenue at about 7 p.m. on Oct. 7.
Eric Galarza was riding in the back seat of the car with his father, mother and another relative. The family realized the boy had been shot and drove to a gas station nearby and called 911.
The boy died a short time later at Sherman Hospital in Elgin.
“The Elgin community provided multiple leads that helped lead to this arrest,” said Elgin Police Chief Jeff Swoboda in a statement released early Saturday morning. “Within one week, Elgin’s gang unit has been able to arrest and charge the man responsible for this tragic incident.”
Olafson said police are continuing to investigate the shooting and are still asking anybody with information to contact police, either using their anonymous tip line or the police department’s website.
