Second suspect charged with Gage Park murder

SHARE Second suspect charged with Gage Park murder

A 29-year-old man is the second person to be charged with fatally shooting a man Monday night in the Southwest Side Gage Park neighborhood.

Martin Bendik is charged with first-degree murder for the death of 30-year-old Jose Ernesto Martinez, according to the Cook County state’s attorney’s office. His co-defendant, 16-year-old Dominick Debock, was charged Thursday with first-degree murder.

About 6:40 p.m. Monday, Martinez was walking on the sidewalk in the 5100 block of South Washtenaw. Debock got out of a gray Honda CRV driven by Bendik, walked up to Martinez, pulled out a semi-automatic handgun and fired several shots, prosecutors said. The teen was wearing a black and red Chicago Bulls jacket at the time.

Martinez fell to the ground and Debock fired at least one more shot into him as he lay on the ground, Brevard said.

Debock’s gun then jammed, and he ran back to the waiting Honda, prosecutors said. Bendik then drove from the scene. The shooting was caught on surveillance video.

Martinez, of the 5100 block of South Mozart, was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 7:11 p.m., authorities said. 

Several witnesses identified Debock as the shooter and Bendik as the driver of the vehicle, prosecutors said. Both were arrested Wednesday.

A damaged, live 9 mm bullet was recovered at Debock’s home, and a loaded handgun was recovered from  Bendik’s pocket when he was arrested, prosecutors said..

Judge James Brown ordered both Debock and Bendik held on $1 million bonds.


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