On Thanksgiving Day, November 28, 2024, at approximately 3:21 p.m., 62-year-old Ignacio Mendiola was inside his residence in the 4000 block of West Monroe Street in Chicago's West Garfield Park neighborhood when gunfire erupted outside. Bullets pierced through his front window, striking him in the head. Emergency responders transported Mendiola to Mount Sinai Hospital, where he was initially listed in critical condition.
Despite medical efforts, he succumbed to his injuries on November 30, 2024.
Following the incident, Chicago police launched an investigation that led to the arrest of 29-year-old Gad Hughes from Cicero, Illinois. Hughes was apprehended on Friday, November 29, 2024, in the 200 block of West Garfield Boulevard. He has been charged with one felony count of first-degree murder and a felony charge for possessing heroin. Authorities have not disclosed a motive for the shooting, and it remains unclear whether Mendiola was the intended target.
Hughes was scheduled to appear at a detention hearing on Sunday, December 1, 2024. As the legal process unfolds, the community mourns the loss of Mendiola, who is remembered by family and friends. A visitation was held on December 10, 2024, at Mount Auburn Funeral Home in Stickney, Illinois, followed by a funeral service on December 11 at Blessed Maria Gabriella East Parish in Chicago. Mendiola was laid to rest at Woodlawn Funeral Home & Memorial Park in Forest Park, Illinois.
