Police say they have identified a suspect in a recent Waukegan shooting in which a Zion man was killed during an exchange of gunfire.
A 27-year-old Waukegan man has been arrested, and Waukegan police said they have referred the case to the Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office. The man’s identity has not been released.
Waukegan police said the man is believed to have fired the shots that killed Christopher Tapia, 19, of Zion. The suspect and Tapia may have exchanged gang-related signals before the shooting at the intersection of Park and Water streets at around 5:26 p.m. on Dec. 22, police said.
Just before the shooting, Tapia and two other men had an initial confrontation with the 27-year-old man inside a small grocery store at the intersection, police said. The man went to his nearby home and retrieved a firearm.
He and Tapia then began firing at each other. The gunfire also struck a car carrying a mother, child and infant. The infant suffered minor injuries from broken glass.
Tapia was struck and brought to Vista East Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.
Police said 45 shots were exchanged during the confrontation and they recovered four guns, including two that had been altered to be fully automatic.
