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Chicago Police have charged 19-year-old Christopher Vazquez and 18-year-old David Morocho with first-degree murder following a nine-month investigation into the fatal North Austin shooting of 17-year-old Melissa Castrejon.
Chicago Police have arrested and charged two young men with first-degree murder in connection with the fatal January shooting of 17-year-old Melissa Castrejon in the North Austin neighborhood.
The Chicago Police Department announced that 19-year-old Christopher Vazquez and 18-year-old David Morocho were taken into custody on Friday, October 2, 2026, by members of the Area 5 Homicide Support Team.
Vazquez was arrested in the 6200 block of South Marshfield Avenue, while Morocho was apprehended in the 4200 block of West Van Buren Street.
Both men face one felony count of first-degree murder, four felony counts of attempted first-degree murder, four felony counts of aggravated discharge of a firearm, four felony counts of aggravated assault with a laser sight, and one felony count of aggravated unlawful use of a loaded weapon without a FOID card.
The charges stem from a fatal shooting that occurred on January 18, 2026, at approximately 9:40 p.m. in the 1800 block of North Latrobe Avenue within CPD’s 25th District.
The violent sequence began when Castrejon, riding inside a Nissan SUV with her friends and a relative, got into an argument over the phone with a male acquaintance.
Seeking to settle the dispute in person, the group drove directly to the acquaintance’s house on West Bloomingdale Avenue and honked the horn to draw him outside.
When no one answered, the driver turned into an alley heading toward the 1800 block of North Latrobe Avenue.
As the SUV exited the alley around 9:40 p.m., the man and his friend were standing near the street and allegedly opened fire on the vehicle.
A barrage of bullets struck the SUV, with a single round penetrating the back seat and hitting the 17-year-old girl in the back.
Startled by the sudden gunfire, the panicked driver crashed into four parked cars while speeding away from the scene.
Unaware of how badly Castrejon was hurt, the group drove two miles back to her home before realizing she had been critically wounded in the back seat.
First responders rushed the teenager to Mount Sinai Hospital, where she underwent emergency surgery before tragically passing away the following morning.
Nearby surveillance cameras caught the entire ambush on video, showing two gunmen shooting at the vehicle before stuffing their weapons into the trunk of a getaway car.
Detectives immediately impounded that vehicle, using forensically recovered evidence and video analysis over a nine-month investigation to identify Vazquez and Morocho as the shooters.
Both suspects now face first-degree murder charges and are scheduled for a formal detention hearing on Saturday, October 3, 2026, at the Cook County Criminal Courts Building.
