Crime
17-year-old Rodrigo Franco killed in drive-by shooting while working inside Archer Heights Burger King
CHICAGO, IL — A 17-year-old boy, identified as Rodrigo Franco of Chicago, was shot and killed Sunday evening in a drive-by shooting while working inside a Burger King restaurant on the city’s Southwest Side, according to the Chicago Police Department.
The incident occurred shortly after 7 p.m. at the Burger King located near 4060 South Pulaski Road in the Archer Heights neighborhood.
Police said a Jeep SUV pulled up outside the restaurant, and someone inside the vehicle opened fire toward the interior of the building.
Franco, who was working at the time, was struck in the head. Responding officers and emergency medical personnel transported him to Mount Sinai Hospital in critical condition, where he was later pronounced deceased.
Authorities confirmed that the suspect’s vehicle fled the scene immediately after the shooting.
The direction of travel remains unknown, and no arrests have been made as of this time.
Detectives from the Chicago Police Department’s Area One Bureau of Detectives are leading the investigation.
Police have not released a possible motive, and no further information has been provided regarding the shooter.
Anyone with information about the incident is urged to contact Area One Detectives or submit an anonymous tip to CPD’s tip line at cpdtip.com.
Crime
Venezuelan national Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis shot in the leg by an immigration agent in Minneapolis
On January 14, 2025, federal law enforcement personnel were engaged in a targeted enforcement operation involving Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis, a Venezuelan national who has been present in the United States since 2022.
The operation escalated into a high-speed pursuit, a physical confrontation, and an ambush by multiple subjects, necessitating the use of a defensive firearm discharge by a federal agent.
At approximately 6:50 PM, federal officers initiated a targeted traffic stop of a vehicle operated by Sosa-Celis.
The subject refused to comply with law enforcement commands and attempted to flee the scene.
During the pursuit, the subject’s vehicle collided with a stationary, parked car.
Following the collision, the subject abandoned the vehicle and fled the scene on foot.
A federal agent pursued the suspect on foot and successfully intercepted him. As the agent attempted to effect an arrest, the subject became combative, resulting in a violent struggle on the ground.
During this confrontation, two additional male subjects emerged from a nearby residence to intervene.
These individuals reportedly ambushed the agent, utilizing a snow shovel and a broom handle to strike the officer.
The situation escalated when the primary suspect, Sosa-Celis, regained his footing and joined the two additional subjects in the assault.
Reports indicate the suspect struck the agent with a blunt object (identified as either the shovel or broom handle).
Citing an immediate threat to his life while being outnumbered and actively assaulted by three individuals, the agent discharged his service weapon in self-defense.
The discharge struck Sosa-Celis in the lower extremity (leg). Following the shot, all three suspects retreated into a nearby apartment complex and initiated a barricade situation.
Following a brief standoff, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) successfully secured the perimeter and apprehended all three individuals without further injury.
Both the federal agent and Sosa-Celis were transported to a local medical facility for treatment.
Images from the scene showed Sosa-Celis conscious and alert during transport.
All three subjects involved in the assault are currently in the custody of ICE.
Further charges related to the assault on a federal officer and resisting arrest are pending review by the U.S. Attorney’s Office.