A 25-year-old man has received a sentence of 25 years in prison for a drive-by shooting that resulted in the death of a nurse from Little Village in 2019, an incident that law enforcement attributed to a case of mistaken gang identity.

Armando Lopez entered a guilty plea to first-degree murder as part of a deal with Judge Neera Walsh, assuring him of a 25-year prison sentence. According to Illinois law, Lopez is required to serve the entire duration of his sentence, with his earliest potential release date set for October 14, 2044.

Lopez, residing on the 2800 block of South Christina Avenue, acknowledged his involvement in the killing of Frank Aguilar, a 32-year-old registered nurse at Misericordia Heart of Mercy. Aguilar was fatally shot while returning home on November 12, 2019, in the 3700 block of West 32nd Street. At the time of the incident, Aguilar was still dressed in his work scrubs, having just finished laundry and carrying his basket home when he was targeted.

<p>Authorities stated that Aguilar was not the intended target in this tragic turn of events. Detectives established that Lopez was behind the wheel of a silver Jeep Commander when one of his passengers discharged their weapon, mistakenly identifying Aguilar as a member of a rival gang.

“It’s unfortunate; this area is gang territory, a rival gang’s turf,” commented the head of CPD’s detective division during the investigation. “These individuals seem to get into a vehicle and think, ‘We’ll go out and target the rival gang,’ then act on impulse, deciding that anyone who looks like a rival is a suitable target.”

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CPD Capt. Gil Calderon expressed sorrow shortly after the incident, stating, “This was a man striving to achieve success, and sadly, his bright future was abruptly ended.”

Footage captured by nearby surveillance cameras showed the Jeep fleeing the scene shortly after the shooting. Days later, investigators came across a similar vehicle, which was identified as being driven by Lopez, leading to a chase that ended with his arrest on charges of aggravated fleeing and driving with a revoked license. Subsequently, he was charged with Aguilar’s murder.

At the time of the shooting, Lopez was out on bail for a previous felony gun charge.

Tim Hecke serves as the managing partner of CWBChicago. He commenced his career at KMOX, the iconic news radio station in St. Louis, before moving on to positions in Minneapolis, Chicago, and New York City. He later developed a network of syndicated radio news and content services that catered to every one of America’s top 100 radio markets. In 2019, Tim became the managing partner of CWBChicago.

His contact email is tim@cwbchicago.com