CHICAGO — A man who was shot and wounded by police was living a "double life" and is actually a gang member, police said Friday.
At 11:30 p.m. Sept. 9, officers on patrol near Maplewood Avenue and Division Street saw Michael Arquero return fire at a car that had shot at him. Arquero killed a man in the exchange, according to a Chicago Police news release.
Officers then shot at Arquero, wounding him. His injuries were non-life-threatening, police said.
Afterward, police said Arquero showed officers a fake concealed carry permit for having the gun used during the shooting. With the help of the Illinois State Police, officers learned Arquero had a "dual identity," going by Michael Trivasano, police said.
Under the alias of Trivasano, Arquero was a documented member of a gang in the city and convicted of gun charges multiple times, police said.
At least one friend and coworker of Arquero said the description by police is false.
Christina Mandarino said she works as an EMT alongside Arquero. The two are partners and work overnights for a private ambulance service, Mandarino said.
Arquero worked nights so he could take care of his two kids during the day while his wife went to work, Mandarino said. His wife is expecting their third child, she said.
Between work and taking care of the kids, Mandarino said there's no way Arquero could lead a double life as a gang member.
"Honestly, I couldn't tell you where he would have time," Mandarino said. "He gets off and goes home so his wife can work."
Mandarino said she knew Arquero had a "past," but didn't know if that entailed gangs or not. She said he worked hard to turn his life around, and didn't like talking about his past.
"He was embarrassed," she said. "He wanted to move past it and I didn't push it. He worked hard to remake his life."
Arquero was actually at Mandarino's wedding the night he ended up shooting the man, she said.
Arquero was charged with unlawful use of a weapon, police said, and additional charges are expected.
At the time of the shooting, witnesses told DNAinfo that several men in a car fired shots at Guerrero's Tacos, 2534 W. Division St., before another man, later identified by police as Arquero, fired back. One witness said Arquero "shot back to protect us all" before being shot and wounded by police.
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