Suspect in shooting of Chicago trans woman is illegal immigrant with ties to Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua

In February, a trans woman was shot multiple times outside a nightclub in Chicago's Little Village neighborhood by a man who allegedly shouted "bad gay" before pulling the trigger. The suspect, an illegal immigrant with ties to the Venezuelan Tren de Aragua gang, was taken into custody, but no charges were filed regearding the shooting and he was released. The victim is in critical condition.

Law enforcement issued a press release claiming that the suspect had, in fact, been charged in connection with the shooting, however after questions were raised by a local outlet, that information was retracted. He was arrested and charged with unrelated crimes both before and after the incident in question, though he was allowed to walk free both times.

According to the Chicago Sun Times, the shooting took place around 4:30 am on February 4 outside the VLive nightclub on South Kedzie Avenue. The victim, who was struck in the groin and both legs, was left in critical condition, but managed to recount the experience to police.

An investigation was launched, and authorities eventually arrested the 29-year-old illegal immigrant on February 26 as he was leaving a courthouse, from which he had been released after being charged with a number of felonies related to illegal possession of a gun and ammunition.

Despite the fact that he had been identified as the gunman and evidence had been discovered that appeared to link him to the scene, Cook County prosecutors did not bring charges against him, with police noting that one of the witnesses, a sex worker, was refusing to cooperate in identifying him out of fear of his ties to Tren de Aragua.

On March 3, the illegal immigrant was arrested once more, this time for driving without a license and failing to stop at a stop sign. The charges were dropped yet again.

That same day, the US Marshals Service sent out a news release that contained a multitude of errors identified by the Sun-Times. After the outlet contacted the Service, a spokesperson issued a statement eight days later explaining that the release had been taken down.

"It should not be used for reference or reporting," the spokesperson added.

As of now, nobody has been charged in connection with the shooting, and the illegal immigrant originally suspected of being the gunman is still walking free.