Man charged in shooting death of girlfriend inside Waukegan bar

WAUKEGAN, Ill. (WLS) -- Roberto C. Romero, 23, has been charged in connection with the shooting death of his 33-year-old girlfriend inside a bar in north suburban Waukegan.

Officers responded to a call of shots fired inside Tacos Bueno Bar near North Avenue and Franklin Street around 1:10 a.m. Friday. The victim, Elpidia Munoz-Garcia, was found dead with a gunshot wound to the head.

Officials say Munoz-Garcia and Romero were in a relationship and lived together in the 400-block of S. Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue in Waukegan. Prosecutors say Romero's parents came to the Waukegan bar at Munoz-Garcia's request to take a gun from Romero, but after a disagreement, Romero allegedly fired the shots and fled. The incident happened in front of the victim's 9-year-old daughter and Romero's parents.

Police obtained a description of the suspect's vehicle and sent a bulletin to surrounding departments to be on the lookout for a 2005 Chevy Equinox. Waukegan Police Commander Joe Florip said officers from another jurisdiction spotted the SUV near Round Lake around 1:49 a.m.

After a brief chase that led back to Waukegan, the suspect was arrested. Florip said officers recovered a weapon from the bar.

A man who lives above the bar watched it all happen.

"The police came by, they were right on him when he pulled in, they were yelling at him to get out of the car," said Eric Thompson.

Friends of Munoz-Garcia say she was a single mother of two born in Mexico who moved to Waukegan and co-owned the bar where the shooting occurred. Grieving friends left balloons in her memory Friday.

"She was such a good mom, good friend," said Olivia Prado. "Basically she was always with her two kids, talking about her kids."

Romero was charged with one count of first degree murder and is being held on $3 million bond. Officials said he admitted to shooting the victim and obtaining the gun from his parents.

Waukegan police said this incident was the first murder of the year in their community.

"This is devastating for our community," Florip said. "Waukegan is a good community, we have good residents here, this is not a reflection of our community as a whole, this is a domestic situation."