A man held for nearly six months on weapons charges admitted Monday that he fired a gun “in proximity of” U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents days before the deportation campaign known as Operation Midway Blitz began to wind down.
Hector Gomez, 46, made the admission while pleading guilty to illegally possessing a firearm as a felon. Gomez also admitted that he is a Mexican citizen unlawfully present in the United States.
The claim that agents had been fired upon in early November was met with some skepticism, especially when no charges were announced against an alleged shooter. Even now, Gomez has admitted only to discharging his weapon “in proximity of” the agents, with no additional details.
There were no reports of anyone hit by gunfire in the Nov. 8 incident.
Still, federal prosecutors in Chicago now have their second guilty plea for a nonimmigration crime tied to Operation Midway Blitz. The feds charged 32 known defendants with such crimes. Twenty of them have been cleared, and four others are on track to have their cases dismissed.
Anthony Gonzalez Alvarez also pleaded guilty earlier this month to concealing information about a crime. In doing so, he admitted that he drove his Ford F-250 into the rear of a vehicle driven by immigration officers.
Gomez entered his plea Monday before U.S. District Judge Matthew Kennelly, who scheduled Gomez’s sentencing for July 20. Gomez, who is in federal custody, spoke through a Spanish interpreter and told the judge he agreed with allegations read into the record by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jill Bhalakia.
The charge carries a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison. Kennelly noted the prosecution would also likely lead to Gomez’s deportation.
Gomez’s arrest came after a chaotic day in Little Village near the end of the monthslong deportation campaign in the Chicago area.
The Department of Homeland Security initially reported on social media that “an unknown male driving a black Jeep fired shots at agents and fled the scene.”
In court Monday, Gomez admitted that, at 9:30 a.m. on Nov 8, he fired “at least two rounds” near CBP agents while driving a black Jeep Wrangler. Gomez later parked the vehicle, got out and pointed the gun toward an unidentified victim before getting back into the Wrangler.