Moments before a burst of gunfire critically wounded a young man with mental disabilities, a group approached him, his younger brother and their father in front of their Back of the Yards home and yelled that they were members of the Two-Six street gang that’s notorious in the area.
But Chicago police believe the three attackers were actually aligned with the Latin Saints and were using a tactic called “false flagging,” or claiming to belong to another gang to coax rivals into identifying themselves, a law enforcement source told the Sun-Times.
Jesus Rega, 21, and his 15-year-old brother are both nonverbal and were unable to respond to the deadly ploy as they waited for a bus with their father around 6:40 a.m. Wednesday in the 4700 block of South Wolcott Avenue, the source said.
Nearly 40 gunshots soon rang out, striking Rega three times, including in the head.
The gang members, wearing masks and black clothing, ran off and haven’t been arrested, the source said Friday. Specific individuals have not been identified, but police are “closing in” with the help of witnesses and other sources.
Video of the shooting hasn’t been found yet, but investigators are combing through footage to find the gang members before and after the attack, the source said.
There was no disruption in the rapid-fire rounds detected by the city’s gunshot detection software, indicating a single shooter may have used an automatic weapon.
The “historic conflict” between the Latin Saints and Two-Six gangs is largely being waged over territory, according to the source, who said Rega’s shooting may have been a case of “mistaken identity.” He and his family have no gang affiliation, police have said.
Another shooting in the 4300 block of South Wood — “the heart of Latin Saints territory” — appears to have mistakenly targeted an off-duty cop just a few hours later, the source said. It was likely carried out by the same gang.
Ald. Raymond Lopez (15th) had a hard time holding back his anger after Rega was shot, blaming the attack on gang members who “felt it was their right to confront people they don’t recognize and shoot at them with impunity.”
“The community needs to step up. People need to say enough,” he said. “And they need to come forward, not only to bring the shooters to justice, but to put an end to this nonsense in our neighborhoods.”
Rega remained hospitalized Friday in critical condition at Stroger Hospital, where doctors have warned he could lose his senses of sight and taste, his father Philip Rega told the Sun-Times.
Still, Philip Rega remained hopeful and said the family is approaching his son’s recovery one day at a time.
“He is responding, he is opening his eyes,” Rega said. “It’s too [early] to assume anything. He’s still in the healing process.”
