Crime & Safety

'A Truly Senseless Crime' — Ex-Boyfriend Accused of Shooting Teen, Teen's Mother

Erick Maya, 23, of Cicero, faces charges of attempted murder in shootings that left his teenage ex-girlfriend and her mother seriously injured.








A 23-year-old Cicero man is accused of shooting his 15-year-old ex-girlfriend and the teen's mom in what Romeoville Police Chief Mark Turvey called a "truly senseless crime."


"There was no excuse for this," Turvey said during a press conference on Friday, a day after the teen and her 33-year-old mother were shot as they sat in a car outside their own home in the 300 block of Emery Avenue.

Turvey said the teen is listed in critical condition, while her mother is in good condition at Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood. 

Erick Maya of Cicero is accused of shooting the girl twice in the head. The mother was shot once in the neck, police said.

Turvey said a K-9 unit found Maya hiding under a deck at a home about two blocks from the crime scene. Investigators have not recovered a weapon and believe Maya tossed the gun as he fled on foot after the shooting, Turvey said.

Maya is charged with two counts of attempted murder, two counts of aggravated battery with a firearm and one count of unlawful use of a weapon by a felon. Turvey said he did not know the details of Maya's prior conviction, and a search for the Cicero man in Illinois Department of Corrections records turned up no results.

Will County Court records do show that a woman took out an emergency order of protection against Maya in December 2013. Turvey said he believes that incident is related to the Thursday morning shooting, although he declined to offer details and could not say whether police have responded to previous domestic violence incidents at the Emery Avenue home.

Turvey also declined to comment on whether statutory rape charges could also be filed against the 23-year-old. He said the teenage victim and Maya were dating at one time, but had broken up prior to the shooting.

Although three other people were questioned in connection with the shooting, Turvey said he does not believe anyone else was involved in the crime.

"We believe it was this one lone shooter and we believe he acted alone," Turvey said. "We feel there is no remaining threat to the community.

"It's always important to get a violent person off the street," Turvey added. "He's certainly a threat to other citizens throughout the area and he's obviously a violent person."

Police are not releasing the victims' names.

"We're trying to preserve their privacy," he said.

Turvey did confirm that the 15-year-old is a student at Romeoville High School.

On Friday, Valley View School District Superintendent James Mitchem sent a letter to staff, saying counseling is available to students and teachers in the wake of the crime.

Valley View schools in Romeoville, along with the Joliet Junior College Romeoville campus, were briefly locked down as a precaution as police searched the area for the suspect on Thursday.

"This unfortunate event (and the emergency response required as a result) are certainly unsettling and we understand the concern that many of our families felt during this time," Mitchem said in the letter. "As we implemented our safety protocol,  we adjusted our response as needed based on the direction of law enforcement officials as their investigation was in progress. Direction given to us by law enforcement officials was based on what was in the best interest of safety for our students, staff, and community. District staff, along with our community partners, worked together to ensure the safety was the highest priority. We are also very proud of our students for their responsible behavior, patience and cooperation. We thank the community for their patience and understanding."

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