An Aurora man will likely spend the rest of his life behind bars after a Kane County judge on Tuesday handed down a 90-year prison sentence for a 2022 street shooting that prosecutors say left one man dead and another gravely wounded.
Samuel Garcia, 27, was ordered to serve consecutive terms of 55 years for first-degree murder and 35 years for attempted first-degree murder, with prosecutors saying both counts were boosted by mandatory firearm enhancements. The court also credited Garcia with just over three years already spent in the Kane County jail. The man who was killed was identified as Ferrer Velasquez.
According to FOX 32 Chicago, Garcia was convicted on Oct. 31 after prosecutors proved he personally fired the gun, which triggered two 25-year add-ons that pushed the total sentence to 90 years. The judge ruled that Garcia must serve the full 55-year term for murder and 85 percent of the 35-year attempted murder term. He received 1,198 days of credit for time already served at the county jail.
How Prosecutors Say The Center Avenue Shooting Unfolded
The Kane County Chronicle reported that prosecutors said the attack happened on Sept. 24, 2022, when a white sedan pulled into the 300 block of Center Avenue in Aurora. Garcia allegedly stepped out of the car holding a silver revolver, shouted gang slogans, and opened fire, killing Velasquez and injuring another man, who was taken to a hospital and later recovered. Investigators with the Aurora Police Department followed up on tips and other leads, tracked the sedan, and eventually arrested Garcia and the driver.
The surviving victim was shot in the face and arm, and the bullet passed through his throat, paralyzing a vocal cord and leading to the implantation of a device to help him speak. His arm injury required a bone graft and metal plates, according to the Daily Herald. Prosecutors also said Velasquez tried to run from the gunfire, stumbled, and was shot twice in the head. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Why The Sentence Is So Long Under Illinois Law
Illinois’ Unified Code of Corrections includes what are commonly called 15/20/25-to-life firearm enhancements. Those provisions tack extra years onto the underlying prison term if the defendant is armed with, or personally fires, a gun that causes serious injury or death. That is how Garcia’s two convictions turned into lengthy, back-to-back sentences instead of something closer to the base ranges for murder and attempted murder.
The same statute also limits how much day-for-day good-conduct credit can be applied to certain violent offenses, which means portions of Garcia’s sentence cannot be cut down through ordinary good-time rules. The specific language is available through the Illinois General Assembly.
Prosecutors’ Message And The Co-defendant’s Fate
“This sentence holds accountable not only the defendant but also sends a clear message that gang violence will not be tolerated in Kane County,” Assistant State’s Attorney Lori Anderson said, according to FOX 32 Chicago. Prosecutors publicly thanked Aurora detectives and residents who shared information with investigators.
The driver of the white sedan, Alonzo Sanchez, pleaded guilty in November and received a 25-year prison sentence for his role in the shooting, the Kane County Chronicle reported. Prosecutors have said the Center Avenue gunfire grew out of a confrontation earlier that same afternoon.
Garcia remains in the Kane County jail while officials process paperwork for his transfer to the Illinois Department of Corrections, a procedural step that marks the final chapter of a multi-year investigation into the deadly 2022 shooting.
