Irving Park Crash Victims Had Been Fatally Shot, Authorities Say

CHICAGO — Chicago racked up 53 homicides in January — not 51 as originally reported by police — after the deaths of a 21-year-old man and a teenage boy who crashed their car near DePaul College Prep were ruled shooting deaths by the Medical Examiner's Office on Monday.

Police originally said the driver, the 21-year-old man, had been shot in his head, and his 16-year-old passenger had been shot multiple times throughout his body.

Later, police said doctors at Illinois Masonic were not able to determine if the victims' injuries were gunshot wounds, and that officers did not find a crime scene.

But on Monday, records from the Cook County Medical Examiner's Office said the man and the boy had died of gunshot wounds after all.

Officer Kevin Quaid, a Chicago Police spokesman, said police are still investigating and would not say more. Police said they were not sure where the actually shooting took place.

At 5:15 a.m. Sunday, the 21-year-old man was driving in the 3700 block of North California Avenue when he ran into a planter box, said Officer Janel Sedevic, a Chicago Police spokeswoman.

The man and the teen were taken to Illinois Masonic Hospital in critical condition and were later pronounced dead, Sedevic said.

The Medical Examiner's office identified them as Alan Garcia, 21, of California, and Roberto Sanchez, 16, of the 2900 block of North Elston Avenue. Garcia was pronounced dead at 5:43 a.m. and Sanchez was pronounced dead at 7:02 a.m.

Garcia died of a gunshot to his head and Sanchez died of multiple gunshot wounds and blunt force injuries from the accident, according to the Medical Examiner's Office. Both deaths have been ruled homicides.

No one was in custody.

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