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Posted: Thursday, 05 November 2009 1:16PM
Two men charged in shooting death of DePaul student
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CHICAGO (STNG/CBS) ― A Cook County judge ordered suspects held without bail Thursday in the killing of a DePaul University student at a weekend Halloween party.
Narcisco Gatica, 19, allegedly fired a TEC-9 semiautomatic weapon at people standing in a gangway outside the party at a home in the 1700 block of North Rockwell around 1:15 a.m. Sunday.
Gatica, a reputed Maniac Latin Disciples member, is accused of killing DePaul political science major Francisco “Frankie” Valencia, 21, and wounding Valencia’s friend Daisy Camacho, a senior psychology major, police said. Camacho was released from the hospital Wednesday.
Gatica and another reputed gang member Berly “Billy” Valladares were charged Wednesday with first-degree murder and attempted murder. Valladares, 21, allegedly provided Gatica with the weapon.
If it wasn't for a neighbor's elaborate camera surveillance system, it's very possible police would still be looking for Valencia's killers.
The motive? Police say one of the men, a gang member, shot up the party because several of the gang member’s pals were kicked out of the party earlier.
Narcisco Gatica, 19, allegedly fired a TEC-9 semiautomatic weapon at people standing in a gangway outside the party at a home in the 1700 block of North Rockwell around 1:15 a.m. Sunday.
Gatica, a Maniac Latin Disciples member, and fellow gang member Berly “Billy” Valladares were charged Wednesday with first-degree murder and attempted murder. Valladares, 21, allegedly provided Gatica with the weapon.
Francisco Valencia, 21, a senior political science major, was fatally shot in the incident, police said. He lived on the 5100 block of West Strong.
Another DePaul senior, 21-year-old Daisy Camacho, was shot in the neck and hospitalized during the off-campus incident, school officials said. Camacho is a psychology major who police said was Valencia’s girlfriend. She was released from the hospital Wednesday.
DePaul students had rented the home on Rockwell for the Halloween party. Three Maniac Latin Disciples crashed the party and were kicked out by the students, police said. One of the ousted gang members then went to Valladares, a leader of a faction of the gang, seeking revenge, police said. Valladares, who has “Grim Reaper” and “Thug Life” tattoos, allegedly supplied Gatica with the gun.
About 45 minutes after the gang members were kicked out, Gatica pulled the gun from his waistband and opened fire outside the home, police said.
Gatica and Valladares gave videotaped confessions to Grand-Central Area detectives Mike Landando and John Valkner, police said. The shooting was captured on video-surveillance cameras. And police recovered a TEC-9 that was linked to the shooting through ballistics tests, police said.
Gatica allegedly told police he thought he was firing at a rival gang member because the person’s hat was tilted sideways the way gang members wear them. But Gatica later backed off that motive, police said.
Private security video on five different cameras caught the gunman in action, the suspects in the alley prior to the shooting and the tragic result of the shooting.
When he realized the crime was caught on camera, the owner turned it over to police.
One minute, cameras show Valencia making a phone call outside the Halloween party on Rockwell. The next minute, the video shows him ducking, running and then collapsing against the house.
A few minutes later, he's surrounded by people trying frantically to tend to him after he'd been shot.
Another camera caught the gunman fire his fatal shot. The video shows a young man walk by the house as if to check it out. A few seconds later, the gunman walks up to the gate, pulls out a gun and pulls the trigger. Then, he and some men with him, run away.
Gatica is believed to be part of the group of men caught on security video in the alley behind the house on Rockwell, a short time after all of them had been asked to leave the party.
Cyndie Torresis a friend of Daisy Camacho. She says, "She's holding up. She's a very strong woman. She's going through a lot of pain, both emotionally and physically, but she's holding up well."
Those who knew the victim, Frankie Valencia, 21, have vowed to keep up his fight to stop violence.
Activists called it a response; when community members come together instead of letting violence rip them apart. They held a vigil Wednesday night for Valencia outside the house where he was killed.
Josh Colon was Valencia's best friend. "They took my brother," he said. But he doesn't hate Valencia's killers. He said he feels sorry for them and wants to help them.
"I grew up in a neighborhood similar to theirs and I understand their plight and … I'd like to reach out to them," Colon said.
Colon said that's what Valencia, a passionate young activist, would want. So Colon and other friends said they won't let anger or sadness stifle that passion for peace. They'll honor it, instead.
They've already set up a DePaul University scholarship fund in Valencia's name and plan on holding marches and vigils on campus to spur others to action.
Despite having some sympathy for the suspects' situation, Colon and Torres said they also want to see justice served.
"I'm grateful for the people who arrested them," Colon said. "I know it's not easy."
"Francisco was well-loved by many of his peers," said DePaul spokesman John Holden.
The regular Sunday night mass at St. Vincent de Paul Parish in Lincoln Park was dedicated to Valencia.
Counselors and support staff also were working with grief-stricken students on Sunday, Holden said.
"He was involved in a number of initiatives to reach out to, recruit and support students of color," Holden said.
A dorm adviser, Valencia is among students currently profiled on the university's Web site.
"He was the kind of student we liked to spotlight," Holden said.
About his first quarter at DePaul, Valencia's profile offers, "I grew in confidence and that has followed me in everything I do. My greatest success as a student here has been . . . making an impact. Whether it was providing a friend with some direction, helping a professor accomplish a class goal, or remaining involved and facilitating others' experiences, I feel like I have had success here at DePaul."
DePaul officials describe Valencia as a very involved and dedicated student who was recently named a Lincoln Laureate, having received an award given annually to one student at each of the state's four-year universities. The award honors excellence in academics and extracurricular activities.
Valencia was a graduate of Lincoln Park High School and was expected to graduate DePaul in June 2010 with a political science degree. His goal was to work on a political campaign in the Chicago area.
On Wednesday night, Valencia's family came to the spot where he was shot to comfort each other, pray and set up a shrine for the young DePaul student.
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Copyright MMVIX, CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved. The STNG Wire contributed to this report.
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