#35: One week after being released on felony gun charge, man shot and killed rival gang member in random attack, prosecutors say

Two men who shot an opposing gang member in a random attack on Monday evening were arrested before they could even flee the scene because Chicago cops were tipped off to the shooting by the city’s ShotSpotter gunfire detection network, officials said. And a concealed-carry holder who was near the victim allegedly returned fire, injuring a passenger in their car.

One of the accused men, Julius Hernandez, was released from custody to await trial for a pending felony gun charge in juvenile court exactly one week before the murder.

Hernandez, who turned 18 on June 18, is the 35th person accused of killing or shooting—or attempting to kill or shoot—someone in Chicago while awaiting trial for a felony this year. The alleged crimes involved at least 69 victims, 17 of whom died.

Julius Hernandez (L) and Byron Queijeiro | CPD

According to prosecutor Danny Hanichak, Hernandez and his alleged accomplice, Byron Queijeiro, 20, are part of a “gang and tagging crew” that is experiencing internal conflict between older members who are artists and taggers and younger members who want to make it more of a street gang involved in guns and narcotics.

Queijeiro picked up Hernandez and two other people on Monday evening to go to a memorial for a mutual friend who died of a drug overdose, according to Hanichak.  Investigators later discovered a draft text message that Queijeiro allegedly typed about five minutes before the murder but never sent.

In it, he wrote that he had spotted an opposing gang member on 37th Street and was trying to decide whether or not to shoot him, Hanichak alleged.

Surveillance video shows Queijeiro circling the 3700 block of South Paulina around 7:20 p.m. and rolling up on a 31-year-old rival gang member who was standing next to a parked car, talking to a concealed carry holder, Hanichak continued.

The rival flashed a gang sign.

According to Hanichak, Queijeiro slowed the car as Hernandez leaned out the front passenger window and began shooting. The victim was hit by multiple rounds and died.

Meanwhile, the concealed carry holder he was talking to pulled out their gun and returned fire, hitting the back seat passenger in Queijeiro’s car.

Chicago police responded to a ShotSpotter alert and found Queijeiro’s car stopped in a nearby alley next to a dumpster, Hanichak said. He pulled away as cops arrived, but they stopped him and discovered that the man in Queijeiro’s back seat had been shot.

Officers detained everyone inside the vehicle and discovered a 9-millimeter handgun with a laser sight attached inside the dumpster where their car was seen, according to Hanichak. Hernandez was allegedly identified as the shooter by both back seat passengers. His hand tested positive for gunshot residue, but during an interview with police, he denied shooting the man.

According to Hanichak, a law enforcement database shows Queijeiro was adjudicated delinquent as a juvenile in Florida in 2015 for aggravated battery with a deadly weapon.

Queijeiro’s private defense attorney contended that he is not accused of shooting anyone and his “mere presence is not enough.” He questioned how law enforcement could know when the alleged draft text was written because it was never sent.

Judge Charles Beach granted a state motion to hold both men without bail.

The “not horrible” series

This report continues our coverage of individuals accused of killing, shooting, or trying to kill or shoot others while on bond for a pending felony case. CWBChicago began our series of reports in November 2019 after Cook County Chief Judge Timothy Evans publicly stated, “we haven’t had any horrible incidents occur” under the court’s bond reform initiative.

The actual number of murders and shootings committed by people on felony bail is undoubtedly much higher than the numbers seen here. Since 2017, CPD has brought charges in less than 5% of non-fatal shootings and 33% of murders, according to the city’s data. 

You can support CWBChicago’s work by becoming a subscriber today.

#1: Man who tried to shoot 3 outside a North Side restaurant on New Year’s Day had a pending felony case, prosecutors say (January 6, 2022)

#2: Felon awaiting trial for 4 sexual assault cases escaped from electronic monitoring and tried to kill investigators who tracked him down, prosecutors say (January 15, 2022)

#3: With felony gun case pending, man shot passerby during “exchange of gunfire,” prosecutors say (January 23, 2022)

#4: Seven-time felon on electronic monitoring for his 4th gun case tried to shoot and kill his girlfriend’s father, prosecutors say (January 26, 2022)

#5: Teen on electronic monitoring for TWO gun cases carjacked a Lyft driver, then shot a 15-year-old at point-blank range, prosecutors say (February 10, 2022)

#6: Man killed nursing student months after going AWOL from felony DUI case, prosecutors say (February 20, 2022)

#7: Man shot and killed his own brother while on bail for a felony gun case, prosecutors say (February 22, 2022)

#8: Beloved Hyde Park bartender was killed by a robber who has 3 pending felony cases, prosecutors said (March 7, 2022)

#9: Man involved in New Year’s shoot-out that left one dead was on bail for his 3rd gun felony, prosecutors say (March 8, 2022)

#10: An 11-time convicted felon shot a 3-year-old and tried to kill the boy’s mother while on felony bail, prosecutors say (March 11, 2022)

#11: Man allegedly stabbed another to death 4 days after getting released on felony bail (March 29, 2022)

#12: He opened fire on his ex’s house, killing a man, prosecutors say. But he was supposed to be home 24/7 for a pending felony gun case. (March 29, 2022)

#13: Man shot a woman, fired toward 4 others, while on bond for being a felon in possession of a firearm, prosecutors say (April 7, 2022)

#14: Man killed his parents in an Uptown senior center while on bond for federal armed robbery and gun charges, prosecutors say (April 14. 2022)

#15: Four-time felon opened fire on a carload of victims, injuring 2 while on bond for felony gun case, prosecutors say (April 20, 2022)

#16: Man shot his ex this month and her boyfriend last month, prosecutors say. He was on felony bail. (April 24, 2022)

#17: Man tried to kill 2 cable TV installers over a missing dog, prosecutors say. He was on bail at the time. (April 30, 2022)

#18: Man escaped from electronic monitoring and ran over a cop in a stolen car while fleeing a murder scene, prosecutors say (May 19, 2022)

#19: A two-time felon circled a West Side neighborhood for 15 minutes looking for someone to kill in a revenge murder, prosecutors say. He was on bond for a gun case at the time. (May 21, 2022)

#20: Alleged mass shooter had a felony gun case pending when he killed 2, wounded 7 near Magnificent Mile, records show (May 22, 2022)

#21: Five months after escaping from electronic monitoring, he helped shoot up a carload of people, injuring 2, prosecutors say (May 29, 2022)

#22: Man accused of setting ‘Walking Man’ on fire has been AWOL from 2 felony cases for 15 months, court records show (May 30, 2022)

#23: Two weeks after being charged with having a stolen rifle in a hijacked car, he allegedly shot a man with a rifle after getting out of a hijacked car (June 11, 2022)

#24: Gunman left a woman paralyzed in River North just 4 weeks after officials sent his felony gun case to a “peace circle,” prosecutors say (June 13, 2022)

#25: Teen acted as murderer’s driver while awaiting trial for carjacking, stolen car cases: prosecutors say (July 6, 2022)

#26: Man shot victim 5 times, days after being charged in a felony narcotics case, prosecutors say (July 7, 2022)

#27: Concealed carry holder shot man who opened fire on his car at McDonald’s, prosecutors say (July 14, 2022)

#28: Terrorism, attempted murder charges filed against man who allegedly detonated bomb on Pink Line in May (August 8, 2022)

#29: Three-time felon shot robbery victim while on bail for felony gun case, prosecutors say (August 23, 2022)

#30: Concealed carry holder shoots 7-time felon who tried to kill him, prosecutors say. That man was on bail for a felony gun case. (August 25, 2022)

#31: Anti-violence worker, who’s also a 9-time felon, shot himself in the butt at a Bucktown gas station while on felony bail, prosecutors say (August 25, 2022)

#32: Killer shot motorcyclist 16 times while awaiting trial for a felony gun case, prosecutors say (September 1, 2022)

#33: Man killed his half-sister’s boyfriend while on electronic monitoring for shooting someone else, prosecutors say (September 5, 2022)

#34: Two months after posting bail for a felony gun case, he participated in a botched robbery that left the victim dead, prosecutors say (September 8, 2022)

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About CWBChicago 6021 Articles
CWBChicago was created in 2013 by five residents of Wrigleyville and Boystown who had grown disheartened with inaccurate information that was being provided at local Community Policing (CAPS) meetings. Our coverage area has expanded since then to cover Lincoln Park, River North, The Loop, Uptown, and other North Side Areas. But our mission remains unchanged: To provide original public safety reporting with better context and greater detail than mainstream media outlets. Our editorial email address is news@cwbchicago.com