In the late hours of a Wednesday evening, the sound of gunfire shattered the quiet of an East Chicago neighborhood, marking the tragic end for Robert A. Silvestre, a 30-year-old male from Calumet City, Illinois. On February 16, 2022, at approximately 11:39 PM, police were dispatched to the 4900 block of Homerlee Avenue after a ShotSpotter alert detected 13 rounds fired in the area.
The responding officers arrived to a somber scene, where a blue SUV with Illinois license plates was parked with its hazard lights blinking in the darkness.
As officers approached the vehicle, a 28-year-old woman from Chicago ran towards them, suffering from a gunshot wound to her face. She urgently informed them that her boyfriend, Robert A. Silvestre, was in the back of the SUV and had been shot in the head. Inside the vehicle, they found Silvestre unresponsive in the rear driver's side seat, with a fatal gunshot wound to the left side of his head. Medics arrived at the scene and pronounced him deceased. The female victim was transported to St. Catherine Hospital in serious but stable condition.
The East Chicago Police Department's Criminal Investigation Division and the Lake County Crime Lab were called to process the scene and launch a homicide investigation into the shooting death of Robert A. Silvestre. In the days following the incident, authorities appealed to the public for any information that might lead to the identification and apprehension of those responsible for this violent act. Detective Isaac Washington was named as the point of contact for any potential leads, with an anonymous tip line also being made available to the community.
Despite the ongoing investigation, there has been no public announcement of any arrests or the identification of any suspects in connection with the murder of Robert A. Silvestre. The case remains an open and active homicide investigation, leaving a family and community awaiting answers and seeking justice for a life cut short by gun violence. The motive for the shooting and the circumstances leading up to the attack have not been released by law enforcement.
