On February 2, 2020, 19-year-old Andres Damian-Salgado was fatally shot outside a residence in the 2800 block of North 77th Avenue in Elmwood Park, Illinois. The incident occurred around 5:45 a.m. as a group had gathered to play video games. Damian-Salgado was transported to Gottlieb Memorial Hospital in Melrose Park, where he was pronounced dead approximately four hours later.
Authorities believed that the victim and the shooter were acquainted, suggesting the incident was isolated.
Initially, no suspects were in custody, and the investigation was ongoing.
Subsequent developments led to the indictment of 20-year-old Julius Thomas III for the murder of Andres Damian-Salgado. Thomas was already being held without bail in connection to a separate fatal shooting on March 2, 2020, of 33-year-old Diviris Garfeed in Chicago. After the Garfeed shooting, Thomas allegedly boasted on Facebook Live about his firearm, claiming it "had bodies on it" and attempting to sell the weapon. A Chicago detective recognized the vehicle used in the Garfeed shooting from surveillance footage as being registered to Thomas and linked to the earlier Elmwood Park homicide. Thomas was subsequently indicted for the murder of Damian-Salgado, with his arraignment scheduled for May 5, 2020.
The tragic death of 19-year-old Andres Damian-Salgado underscores the pervasive issue of gun violence affecting communities. The swift investigative efforts by law enforcement led to the apprehension and indictment of a suspect, bringing some measure of justice to the victim's family.
