On Wednesday, July 1, DuPage County State’s Attorney Robert B. Berlin and Elmhurst Chief of Police Michael Ruth announced that a 22- year-old man had been charged with Attempt First Degree Murder for allegedly shooting an Elmhurst man last May. Charged with one count of attempted first degree murder and one count of aggravated battery – discharge of a firearm (both Class X felonies) is Alec Gonzales, 22, with residences in Elmhurst and Mesa, Arizona.
Gonzales is currently in custody in the Maricopa County, Arizona, Jail. Extradition proceedings are pending and he is expected to return to DuPage County in the near future.
According to the complaint filed in DuPage County on June 25, it is alleged that on May 14, at approximately 8:52 p.m., Gonzales “without legal justification and with the intent to kill … personally discharged a firearm, a Bushmaster AR-15 rifle, eight times in the direction of and striking” …(the victim)… “in the flank and grazing his scalp.”
Additionally, on June 25, Judge Kavita Athanikar issued a $5 million full cash arrest warrant for Gonzales. Gonzales was located and taken into custody on June 25 in Mesa.
“I would like to commend the Elmhurst Police Department, members of the MERIT task force, the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office, the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office SWAT Team and the FBI Violent Crimes Fugitive Task Force for their outstanding work and assistance in this investigation,” Berlin said. “In the midst of a deadly pandemic, the identification and apprehension of a man who allegedly shot another man and then fled the state is a testament to the commitment to justice exhibited by all of those involved. Mr. Gonzales will now be brought back to DuPage County where he will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
“I would like to take this opportunity to thank the community for their support and cooperation throughout this investigation,” Ruth said. “Their assistance, coupled with the work of our officers, the DuPage County State’s Attorney’s Office as well as the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office SWAT Team, the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office and the FBI Violent Crimes Fugitive Task Force, enabled us to build a strong case against the defendant in this incident.”
Members of the public are reminded that this complaint contains only charges and is not proof of the defendant’s guilt.
