2 men with alleged ties to Venezuelan gang Tres de Aragua arrested for Chicago Lawn mass shooting, ICE says
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said Wednesday that they arrested two Venezuelan nationals with ties to the Tres de Aragua gang in connection with a Chicago mass shooting in December.
Three people were killed and five more were injured in the shooting at birthday party at a home in the Chicago Lawn neighborhood on Dec. 2, 2024. Police were called to the scene in the 3500 block of West 59th Street around 2:10 p.m. that day, where they found four men and four women between the ages of 20 and 35 with gunshot wounds.
Three of the four men were killed. They were identified as 28-year-old Jon Carlos Blancarcer, 26-year-old Hector Sajo, and 32-year-old Osmer Angel Ferrer Oria.
"I got home from work, and I seen a lot of people at the house — it was like over 20 people — and shortly after, I started hearing shots — very loud shots — maybe, I don't know, I can't recall how many," neighbor El Towers told CBS News Chicago after the shooting. "It seems like it was a party. There's always people at that house partying."
ICE said Edward Martinez Cermeno ended the party that day by shooting it up.
"It's a devastating tragedy that happened, Ald. Jeylu Gutierrez (14th) said after the shooting, speaking for the whole community.
Cermeno, 24, was arrested on Jan. 26 in Schaumburg and initially released following a federal detention hearing, ICE said. He was then arrested again by ICE agents in Chicago on administrative charges for being in the U.S. illegally. He is in federal custody facing criminal charges for allegedly illegally entering the U.S. near Eagle Pass, Texas, in 2023.
ICE said they arrested Ricardo Granadillo Padilla, 25, on Feb. 8 in Raleigh, North Carolina. ICE said in January they seized multiple guns, high-capacity magazines, narcotics and fraudulent documents from his Chicago residence, and when he was arrested in Raleigh they seized a pistol and ammunition.
Padilla remains in federal custody and was sentenced in March for illegally entering the U.S. near El Paso, Texas, in 2022.
ICE said Cermeno and Padilla were both shooters in the December attack.
"Just sad. It almost makes you hopeless, but you have to keep hope in times like these," community activist Pastor Donovan Price said the day of the shooting.
CBS News Chicago caught up with Price again on Wednesday afternoon. He was asked about his reaction to the captures.
"It's a great thing. It's a great thing, especially for the community, because the one thing I remember that particular day was that the whole community came out," Price said. "You know, there were children coming home from school, which was one issue. There were local businesses in that area. There were just people who weren't used to that in that community, and that were really upset by the event."
ICE said they have recently arrested 16 additional gang members and people connected to the two alleged shooters, who they said are Venezuelan nationals.
"And in this case, they were followed, and it didn't work out for them," Price said, "and hopefully, that will lead a message to other criminals who might have that same intent."
CBS News Chicago has reached out to Chicago police for comment and to see if they plan to pursue any charges.
