Crime
36-year-old Antoinette Congo fatally shot and set on fire inside a garage in Englewood
CHICAGO — Authorities are investigating a deadly incident in the Englewood neighborhood after a woman was found fatally shot and set on fire inside a garage in the early morning hours of Thursday, September 11, 2025.
The victim has been identified as Antoinette Congo, 36, according to the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office.
Police said Congo suffered multiple gunshot wounds, including one to the back of the head, before her body was set on fire.
The incident occurred in the 6500 block of South Damen Avenue on Chicago’s South Side.
Emergency crews responded to the scene after receiving reports of a fire.
Upon extinguishing the blaze, investigators discovered Congo’s body inside the structure.
She was pronounced dead at the scene.
No arrests have been made, and detectives with the Chicago Police Department’s Area One Bureau of Detectives are leading the investigation.
Officials have not released information about possible suspects or a motive at this stage.
Loved ones say Congo leaves behind three young children, a loss that has devastated her family and community.
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.