Man charged with fatally shooting rival gang member in August

A man went home after being shot at, changed clothes and gunned down a rival gang member in Brighton Park over the summer, prosecutors said.

Carlos Rueda, 22, and another person allegedly opened fire on three men about 1:10 p.m. on Aug. 16 in an alley in the 3000 block of West 44th Street, according to a bond proffer prepared by Cook County prosecutors.

Alexis Rivera suffered two gunshot wounds to his back and died at Mount Sinai Hospital, prosecutors said. The other men, 19 and 20, were also wounded in the shooting.

Rueda, charged with first-degree murder, was ordered held without bail at a hearing Monday, prosecutors said.

He is a documented member of the Satan Disciples street gang and Rivera, 22, was a documented Two-Six gang member, according to prosecutors.

Hours before the murder, someone in a light-colored Buick had fired shots at Rueda and a person he was with, striking the person in the leg, prosecutors said.

Rueda took the person to a hospital and returned home, where he changed into all black clothing and got into a White Nissan Maxima with distinct damage to the gas cap and front end, prosecutors said. Two other cars followed.

The cars stopped in the 3000 block of West 44th Street and Rueda and another person got out of the Nissan. They walked down an alley and fired shots at Rivera and the other men, prosecutors said. Another gang-related shooting had taken place on that block two days earlier.

Surveillance video captured the Nissan pulling up to the alley as well as Rueda and his accomplice getting out of the car, prosecutors said. The car’s license plate came back as being registered to Rueda.

Investigators also tracked Rueda’s location that day through his cell phone data, prosecutors said, but there is a 25-minute period in which the phone does not transmit any data.

The period corresponds to the exact time of the shooting, and it is believed Rueda turned off his phone, prosecutors said.

After the murder, Rueda returned home to change clothes and then went to get groceries at a Pete’s Fresh Market, prosecutors said. He gave a statement to police claiming he was at the store at the time of the shooting, but video from Pete’s contradicts that.

He is expected back in court Jan. 15.