Two illegal Venezuelan immigrants, suspected TdA gang members charged in deadly Chicago mass shooting

Two Venezuelans residing illegally in the United States have been charged in connection with a mass shooting that occurred in Chicago last December, resulting in the deaths of three individuals and injuries to five others. The arrests of over a dozen suspected members of the Tren de Aragua gang followed the incident.

The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) revealed that Ricardo Granadillo Padilla, 25, and Edward Martinez Cermeno, 24, are facing charges related to the tragic house party shooting on December 2.

During Padilla’s arrest, additional suspected Tren de Aragua gang members were encountered in Raleigh, as per ICE reports.

Eight individuals, comprising five men and three women aged between 20 and 35, were shot during the incident, with injuries to the head, abdomen, and limbs reported.

Three men, including a 26-year-old and a 28-year-old, lost their lives in the shooting. Gang-related graffiti was found at the scene, and officials confirmed previous service calls at the location.

In a coordinated effort involving multiple agencies, Padilla was apprehended in Raleigh, North Carolina, on February 8, 2025, and subsequently sentenced in March for illegally entering the country near El Paso, Texas, in 2022. Various weapons, ammunition, narcotics, and fake documents were seized from his Chicago residence.

Cermeno, another suspect in the December 2024 Chicago mass shooting, was arrested by HSI Chicago and the U.S. Border Patrol Tactical Unit on January 26, 2025.

Cermeno was arrested in Schaumburg, Illinois, on January 26 by ICE Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Chicago and border patrol agents, but was later released by a federal magistrate judge after a detention hearing. He was arrested again by ICE HSI Chicago on immigration charges for illegal entry into the country in 2023 near Eagle Pass, Texas.

Both Padilla and Cermeno are currently in federal custody, according to ICE. Additionally, 16 more Tren de Aragua members and associates of Padilla and Cermeno in Chicago and Raleigh have been arrested by ICE HSI Chicago on immigration violations in recent weeks.

ICE has not responded immediately to further inquiries from Fox News Digital.