Aurora Man Found Guilty In 2022 Fatal Shooting On Aurora's East Side: Mosser

AURORA, IL — A Kane County jury convicted an Aurora man in connection with a fatal shooting on the city's East Side in 2022, the Kane County State's Attorney's Office said this week.

Samuel Garcia was found guilty of first-degree murder and attempted first-degree murder in the death of Ferrer Velasquez and injury of a second victim on Sept. 22, 2022.

The 27-year-old man faces a sentence of 20 to 60 years in prison for the first-degree murder charge and six to 30 years for the attempted murder conviction. He faces mandatory add-ons between 25 years to life for both sentences since the state proved he personally fired the weapon that killed Velasquez and caused great bodily harm to the second victim, officials said.

On that Thursday afternoon three years ago, a white sedan pulled up to the 300 block of Center Avenue in Aurora, and Garcia got out of the passenger seat holding a silver revolver, Assistant State's Attorneys Lori Anderson and Amanda Busljeta said in court. He confronted two men, yelling "gang slogans," and fired the gun at one of them, shooting him in the face and left arm, officials said.

RELATED: 2 Men Charged With Murder Related To Shooting On City's East Side: APD

The other man, Velasquez, tried to flee but stumbled and fell to the ground. Garcia approached, stood over him and shot him twice in the head, according to a news release.

Velasquez was pronounced dead at the scene. The second victim was taken to a local hospital and recovered from his injuries, officials said.

Earlier that day, witnesses told investigators that Velasquez and the other victim had come to the aid of a teen who was being harassed by Garcia and the other occupants of the sedan, identified as Alonzo Sanchez.

"Garcia committed the shooting moments later," officials said.

After an investigation, the Aurora Police Department tracked down the vehicle connected to the shooting and connected it to Garcia and his co-defendant, Sanchez, who were subsequently arrested and charged with first-degree murder and attempted first-degree murder.

Sanchez remains in pretrial custody at the Kane County jail, according to the Kane County Sheriff's Office.

"Our condolences go out to the family and loved ones of Ferrer Velasquez as they continue to grieve this senseless loss," Anderson said in a statement. She added, "Thank you to the citizens of Aurora. Because of their bravery and willingness to come forward with information, we were able to secure a conviction."

Garcia's court date for motions and sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 7, 2026. He continues to be in custody at the Kane County jail.