CHICAGO — A man has been charged in connection to a Aug. 29 police-involved shooting in the Heart of Chicago neighborhood in which one man was left dead.
Erik Martinez, 34, of the 1800 block of South Ruble Street, was arrested on a warrant and charged with first-degree murder and four counts of aggravated discharge of a firearm, police said.
Police tied Martinez to 29-year-old Rafael A. Cruz Jr., who was found dead after officers had opened fire on his car. It was unclear what role Martinez played in the incident.
The 10th District Commander, Frank Valadez, was on patrol with another officer when they saw a moving car fire shots at an occupied car near the intersection of 23rd and Wood streets, police said at the time.
The police gave chase and the suspects crashed into other cars. When Valadez and the other officer approached the suspects, the suspects "purposely reversed their vehicle" and police fired shots.
Chicago Police Supt. Gary McCarthy said at the time of the shooting that the incident was under investigation by the Independent Police Review Authority but that it was "a clear depiction of how the men and women of the Chicago Police Department are in the front lines, relentlessly targeting those individuals who torment our neighborhood with gun violence."
Martinez is set to appear in bond court Sunday, police said.
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