Daniel Licea, a 55-year-old resident of Chicago Heights, Illinois, died on October 28, 2023, due to gunshot wounds. He was shot along with another man, Alberto Villanueva, 30, also from Chicago Heights, at the same location in the 250 block of West 10th Street.
Both Licea and Villanueva were taken to Franciscan Health Olympia Fields, where they were pronounced dead. Villanueva was pronounced dead just before 10 p.m., and Licea a few minutes after 10 p.m. on the same day. The Cook County Medical Examiner ruled their deaths as homicides.
Daniel Licea was a longtime resident of Chicago Heights, having migrated from his hometown of La Piedad, Michoacan, Mexico, over 30 years ago. He worked at Chicago Heights Steel and was married to Maria Isabella nee Espinosa for 32 years. He had six children: Eduardo, Edgar, Karen, Guadalupe, Jesus, and the late Erick. He was also a grandfather to Joseph, Joel, and Guadalupe Licea.
The funeral services for Daniel Licea were held at Panozzo Bros. Funeral Home in Chicago Heights. The visitation took place on Friday, November 3, 2023, from 3:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m., followed by a funeral mass at Our Lady of the Heights Parish/St Kieran Church on Saturday, November 4, 2023. He was interred at Assumption Cemetery in Glenwood.
The incident involving Licea and Villanueva occurred just days after two other fatal shootings in the area. Caleb Trotter, 23, of Flossmoor, and Rolando Strong, 51, of Chicago Heights, were fatally shot in the head in the 500 block of West 14th Street, with their deaths also ruled as homicides.
