The Chicago neighborhood of Pilsen became the backdrop for a tragic series of events that left a teenager dead and two others severely injured. According to the Chicago Sun-Times, on Sunday at around 1:15 a.m., Chicago Police officers responded to the sound of gunfire within the 1800 block of South Loomis Street. They discovered 29-year-old Stephen Mancilla Carlos and a woman wounded inside a vehicle, with Carlos succumbing to his injuries days later at Stroger Hospital.
The officers were originally part of a robbery task force patrolling nearby when they unexpectedly came across what they described as two "armed offenders." During the confrontation in the 1800 block of South Blue Island Avenue, 16-year-old Alex Angel Cortez was fatally shot by police, dying shortly after at a local hospital. The Chicago Sun-Times reports the police claimed Cortez was one of the gunmen in the earlier shooting, and a gun was found at the scene. The second suspect has yet to be apprehended while the other female victim's condition remains undisclosed.
However, the narrative of the incident faces controversy following an interview with Cortez's father. On WGN-TV, he contested the police's version of events, stating his son did not have a gun. "He gave me a hug, saying, ‘Dad, how are you?'" relayed the father shortly before the fatal encounter, as per Hoodline's interview. The ongoing investigation by the Civilian Office of Police Accountability (COPA) is expected to shed further light on the case as more details become available.
