CHICAGO: Silverio Villegas Gonzalez was twelve minutes late for his shift at Tom and Jerry’s Gyros when his manager knew something was wrong.
The short order cook always notified someone if running late, even by just five minutes.
Villegas Gonzalez had been fatally shot by a United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent after dropping his children at school and daycare in Franklin Park.
Agents were attempting to arrest him as part of a massive immigration sweep launched by President Donald Trump.
The Department of Homeland Security called him a criminal illegal alien with a history of reckless driving.
DHS stated he steered his car at agents, causing one to fear for his life and fire his weapon.
DHS told Reuters they would conduct their own investigation after the first responding agency finished its review.
Both Franklin Park police and the FBI responded to the shooting incident.
The FBI declined to comment citing staffing shortages during the government shutdown.
Franklin Park police did not respond to Reuters’ request for comment.
Family and coworkers described Villegas Gonzalez as a soft-spoken and dependable presence.
Manager Ashley Alekna said he worked eleven-hour shifts in a boisterous kitchen.
He had left his quiet Mexican village years ago for economic opportunity.
Partner Blanca Mora remembered him as the reserved boy from Irimbo, Michoacán.
His older brother Jorge recalled Silverio hiding so he wouldn’t see him crying when Jorge left for the United States.
Silverio followed his brother north in 2007 amid Mexico’s drug war violence.
United States Census data showed over 348,000 Mexican emigrants arrived that year.
He found employment in restaurant kitchens where nearly half of chefs are foreign-born.
Villegas Gonzalez had two sons with a previous partner and often struggled to cover bills.
Between 2011 and 2019, he received several traffic citations including speeding over thirty miles per hour.
He was ticketed for driving an uninsured vehicle and having a broken tail light.
His alcohol abuse led to liver disease diagnosis, with doctors warning continued drinking would kill him.
He had been sober for more than a year when he died according to coworkers and Mora.
Mora reconnected with him after moving to the United States searching for her mother.
They became a couple and blended their families in Franklin Park.
Villegas Gonzalez took his sons to the library three times weekly and played Lego with them.
He banned phones at the dinner table so the family could focus on each other.
Coworkers helped him bake a Minecraft-themed cake for his younger son’s birthday.
Surveillance video showed ICE agents pulling him over minutes after dropping his children.
Agents leaned into his front car windows before he backed up and attempted to drive away.
The passenger-side agent chased on foot while the driver-side agent became temporarily invisible.
Separate surveillance footage captured what sounded like two gunshots around the same time.
Police records and bodycam footage indicated he quickly crashed into a parked delivery truck.
Jorge Villegas Gonzalez learned of his brother’s death while driving a minibus in Irimbo.
Mora said Villegas Gonzalez’s two boys were taken to foster care after his death.
She remembered him as someone who always thought about the children when closing his eyes at night. – Reuters