Police charge man in triple homicide at Portage Park birthday party
Chicago police charged a man with murder for allegedly shooting dead three people after being asked to leave a birthday party early Sunday morning at a Portage Park bar.
Chicago police Superintendent David Brown announced five charges against 32-year-old Samuel Parsons-Salas at a news conference Tuesday: three for first-degree murder, one for first-degree attempted murder and one for kidnapping with a firearm.
Before the shooting, witnesses reported that there was “a disturbance inside” the bar near Central Avenue and School Street and said Parsons-Salas was asked to leave the birthday party going on inside, Brown said. Parsons-Salas, who had been attending the party, then went to his car and grabbed a gun. A fight broke out and shooting started, Brown said.
“This incident is a tragedy. It should never have escalated to a loss of life,” he said.
The Cook County medical examiner’s office identified the victims as Ricky Vera, 50, of an unknown address, Mario Pozuelos, 26, of Franklin Park, and Mercedes Tavares, 24, from Chicago Heights. A 25-year-old woman was shot in the head and taken to Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center in critical condition, police said.
It had been her birthday, Brown said, adding that she continues to fight for her life.
“It was heartless,” Brown said, urging judges to severely punish the shooter. “Throw away the key. Get this person off our streets. … Throw the book at him.”
Witnesses cooperated with police to help identify the shooter, Brown said.
Parsons-Salas had been arrested for a 2010 home invasion and was paroled this September, Brown said. The Tribune reported in 2014 that Parsons-Salas had been arrested and charged with two counts of first-degree murder in connection to a home invasion.
After the shooting, Parsons-Salas drove away with a woman in his car, holding her against her will, CPD Chief of Detectives Brendan Deenihan said. He attempted to flee on foot when officers arrested him Monday. The woman was still with him at the time, Deenihan added.
