By Chicago Times Magazine –
January 8, 2026
A federal grand jury has indicted a Mexican national on firearm charges following an incident in Chicago’s Little Village neighborhood late last year, federal authorities announced Wednesday. Hector Gomez, 45, faces one count of illegal possession of a firearm by a previously convicted felon and one count of illegal possession of a firearm by a foreign national without lawful status.
The indictment alleges that on the afternoon of Nov. 8, 2025, Gomez brandished a handgun at a victim. Shortly after the reported encounter, Chicago Police officers located Gomez seated in the driver’s seat of a black Jeep Wrangler in a nearby parking lot, where they reportedly discovered a loaded handgun in his lap. Investigators further allege that the same firearm had been discharged at least twice approximately five hours earlier, only two blocks from where Gomez was apprehended. Those shots were fired in the vicinity of U.S. Customs and Border Patrol agents who were performing their official duties at the time.
Gomez, a resident of Chicago, has a criminal history that includes a prior felony conviction and at least four separate removals from the United States between 2008 and 2015. He is currently being held in federal custody without bond. His arraignment is scheduled for Jan. 12, 2026, at 1:15 p.m. before U.S. District Judge Matthew F. Kennelly.
The charges were announced by Andrew S. Boutros, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, along with leadership from the Chicago offices of the ATF and the FBI. The prosecution is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods, a Department of Justice initiative aimed at reducing violent crime through federal firearms prosecutions. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Jill J. Bhalakia is representing the government. Each count against Gomez carries a maximum penalty of ten years in federal prison.
