A Mexican national illegally living in the United States possessed a handgun that was fired near U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents during a large-scale enforcement operation in Little Village in November, federal prosecutors said Thursday.
Hector Gomez has crossed the border illegally dozens of times, admitted he was prohibited from owning a gun in the U.S., and laughed while pointing a loaded pistol at a woman, the same weapon that was used to fire shots near federal agents earlier in the day, according to the allegations.
A federal grand jury this week indicted Gomez, 45, on two firearm counts stemming from a November 8, 2025, incident on Chicago’s Southwest Side. Gomez is charged with illegal possession of a firearm as a previously convicted felon and illegal possession of a firearm as a foreign national with no lawful status in the United States.
Around 9:30 a.m. that day, at least two rounds were fired from a black Jeep Wrangler in the 2400 block of South Kedzie Avenue near U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents who were performing duties as part of Operation Midway Blitz. Gomez is not directly accused of firing those shots.
Roughly five hours later, Chicago police responded to a report of a person with a gun in the 3100 block of West 26th Street. According to the complaint, witnesses told dispatchers that a Hispanic man in a black Jeep Wrangler had pointed a firearm at a woman.
Officers located the Jeep and ordered the driver, later identified as Gomez, to exit. When officers opened the driver’s door, they immediately saw a loaded handgun resting on Gomez’s lap, authorities said.
The woman told police that Gomez walked toward her holding the gun in his right hand while laughing, according to the complaint. Ballistics analysis later tied the recovered firearm to the rounds fired earlier in the day near the federal agents, according to the allegations.
After his arrest, Gomez initially gave police a false name and date of birth, federal officials said, but fingerprint analysis confirmed his identity and linked him to multiple prior removals from the United States under several aliases.
Federal agents say Gomez admitted during a post-arrest interview that he is a Mexican citizen who is illegally in the United States and told investigators he has crossed the border unlawfully about 30 times since he was 17 years old. Gomez also acknowledged that he is a convicted felon, had previously served about six months in prison for a gun offense, and knew he was not allowed to possess a firearm, officials said. He told agents that he signs paperwork every year acknowledging that prohibition.
Court records show Gomez was convicted in Cook County in January 2025 of aggravated unlawful use of a weapon and sentenced to one year in prison. He had been removed from the United States at least four times between 2008 and 2015 and never received permission to reenter, according to Department of Homeland Security records cited in the complaint.
Each count carries a potential sentence of up to 10 years in federal prison. Gomez remains detained in federal custody and is scheduled to be arraigned on January 12.
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