Melissa emigrated from Mexico to the US, but a gang fight ended her life

CHICAGO – A Cook County judge denied bail Thursday for a teen accused of killing an 8-year-old girl during a shootout between gang members and the man accused of helping him escape.

Emilio Corripio, 16, and Xavier Guzmán, 26, face first-degree murder and attempted murder charges in the Little Village shooting that killed 8-year-old Melissa Ortega, who reportedly emigrated from Mexico with her mother. last year.

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Corripio, who will be tried as an adult, was on probation after he was charged with two carjackings last year, Cook County prosecutors said in court.

At the time of the deadly shooting in Little Village, Corripio had not been bonded on those charges and was not under electronic surveillance.

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WHAT HAPPENED BEFORE THE SHOOTING

Judge Susana Ortiz said the shooting showed "absolute disregard" for public safety, noting that the teen opened fire in broad daylight on a busy commercial street.

Prosecutors said that around 3 pm Saturday, Guzmán and Corripio saw members of a rival gang between 26th Street and Komensky Avenue.

Guzmán, who in court was said to be driving a taxi, stopped in a nearby alley. Corripio, dressed in dark clothing, got out of the taxi and walked down the alley before opening fire.

At that moment Melissa was crossing the street with her mother and one of her bullets hit her in the head.

Another 26-year-old man, whom police said was a gang member, was shot in the back as he too fled. After the shots were fired, Corripio ran to the taxi and he and Guzmán fled.

Authorities said that when Guzman was arrested this week, the gun used in the shooting was found in his vehicle. Prosecutors said Guzmán does not have a criminal record.

In court it was also said that inside the taxi investigators found a fingerprint that coincides with Corripio's and that the two were seen together that day in surveillance videos before and after the shooting.

A defense attorney assigned to the defendants said Corripio lives with his parents and plays soccer, adding that it is unlikely he would face a possible life sentence. The lawyer said that Corripio should be released pending trial.

Guzmán's attorney said he lives with his grandmother and argued that he did not know in advance that Corripio would commit the shooting.

Both will have to return to court on February 15.

A 16-year-old boy and a 27-year-old man are facing murder charges in connection with a shooting after a dispute between gang members that claimed the life of the 8-year-old girl.

MELISSA EMIGRATED FROM MEXICO IN 2021

The announcement of the arrest of the suspects in Melissa's death comes as her family and close friends say goodbye to her little girl in a private ceremony and would eventually give her a Christian burial in Mexico.

Melissa studied at the Emiliano Zapata Academy, an elementary school in the Little Village neighborhood, and together with her mother they emigrated to Chicago from Mexico last year, according to relatives who organized an online campaign to be able to pay for the funeral services of the minor, who is believed to be scheduled to take place in Mexico.

“Melissa hoped for a better life here: she wanted to learn English, she wanted to experience Chicago snow, she wanted to have a build a bear stuffed animal, she wanted to do Tik Tok dances with her friends. At 8 years old, she was a girl full of hope and with her whole life ahead of her. She sought to achieve the American dream, but instead she received American violence," her family said in a statement.

The incident came as Chicago is experiencing a spike in homicides. Last year saw the city's deadliest quarter, with roughly 800 murders.