Prosecutors: Julian Garcia fatally shot Salvador Ponce in Little Village before Super Bowl party

Michael Lansu — Mon, 29 Sep 2014 15:16:53 -0500

Julian Garcia / Photo from Illinois Department of Corrections

BY MICHAEL LANSU
Homicide Watch Chicago Editor

A man already in prison on a gun charge was ordered held on $2 million bond Monday after prosecutors said he fatally shot a man going to a Super Bowl party last year in the Little Village neighborhood.

Salvador Ponce, 32, stopped at a store near South Kedvale Avenue and West 30th Street about 4:30 p.m. Feb. 3, 2014, on his way to a Super Bowl party, said Assistant State's Attorney Alex Molesky.

When Ponce exited the store, a green Chevrolet Venture pulled up to the intersection, Julian Garcia exited the passenger's side, yelled "King Love" and opened fire in the direction of Ponce and a 19-year-old man standing nearby, Molesky said.

Garcia, then 19, is a purported member of the Latin King street gang, which are rivals with the Two-Six street gang that is prominent in the Little Village community, Molesky said.

Ponce was shot once in the head, Molesky said. The bullets also struck two nearby vehicles and went through the kitchen window of an area apartment containing numerous children, she said.

Ponce, 2700 block of South Komensky Avenue, died the next day at Mount Sinai Hospital, according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office.

After the shooting, Garcia got into the van, which fled the scene, Molesky said.

Multiple witnesses provided responding police officers with a physical description of the gunman, the getaway driver, the van and its license plates, Molesky said.

Garcia allegedly told numerous people about the murder and was later identified in a photo lineup as the gunman, Molesky said.

Garcia is currently serving a two year prison sentence at the Western Illinois Correctional Facility for possession of a gun with a defaced serial number, according to Illinois Department of Corrections record. He is projected to be paroled in March 2015.

While in prison on the gun charge, Garcia was charged with murder for Ponce's death and on Monday Judge James Brown ordered him held on $2 million bond. He will be back in court Oct. 21.

Julian Garcia | Homicide Watch Chicago

Prosecutors: Julian Garcia fatally shot Salvador Ponce in Little Village before Super Bowl party