CHICAGO (WBBM Newsradio) – A man who fired shots near federal immigration agents during last fall’s Operation Midway Blitz has been sentenced to 30 months in prison.
Hector Gomez, 46, pleaded guilty in April to illegally possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. Federal prosecutors said Gomez fired at least two shots near Border Patrol agents in the 2400 block of South Kedzie Avenue in Little Village on Nov. 8.
There was no evidence Gomez was aiming directly at the agents, and no one was hurt. U.S. District Judge Matthew Kennelly said Thursday that firing a gun on a busy street during a volatile situation could have had far more serious consequences.
Authorities said Gomez fled the area and was later found sitting in a Jeep with a gun in his lap and beer bottles inside the vehicle.
Gomez’s attorney had asked for an 18-month sentence, saying Gomez had been drinking heavily before the incident and regretted his actions. Gomez apologized in court before he was sentenced.
Gomez is the first person sentenced for a non-immigration federal felony tied to Operation Midway Blitz, the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement campaign in the Chicago area last fall.
He will also serve one year of supervised release and is expected to be deported to Mexico after completing his prison sentence.
