Berwyn man charged in 2022 West Lawn road rage shooting death of 3-year-old boy, Chicago police say

Chicago police announced charges Thursday evening in the deadly shooting of a 3-year-old boy nearly two years ago in West Lawn.

Govanni Hernandez, 32, of Berwyn has been charged with the murder of 3-year-old Mateo Zastro, who was shot and killed in September 2022 in an apparent road rage incident. He was arrested and charged with multiple felonies, including first-degree murder and attempted murder

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Detectives said in a news conference Thursday that since Zastro's death, police have worked tirelessly to help his family find closure and justice.

"Since the day of the shooting, the Area 1 detectives have worked to bring justice in this case." Chicago Police Department Chief of Detectives Antoinette Ursitti said.

Police said it was a combination of DNA evidence, witness testimony and police work that lead to Hernandez's arrest.

"I want to commend the Area 1 detectives for everything they put into this case and the work they did to apprehend this violent offender, who for two years cowardly went on with his life," Ursitti said. "While we know this will not bring Mateo back we hope this brings a measure of closure... Justice for a grieving mother who should be watching her son grow up, justice for three young children who are growing up without their brother, justice for Mateo, an innocent 3-year-old who didn't deserve this."

The shooting unfolded in an apparent road rage incident near Cicero Avenue and West 71st Street on Chicago's Southwest Side, police said.

"The mother attempted to flee from the other vehicle of the road rage incident," 8th District Chicago Police Department Cmdr. Bryan Spreyne said at the time.

But, she didn't get far, making it only blocks away to Marquette Road near Kildare Avenue, where the mother was tracked down and shots were fired, police said. A nearby home was riddled with bullets after someone in the backseat of a red sedan took aim at the mom's car.

Zastro, who was in the car with three siblings, was shot in the head.

The mother kept driving, ending up at South Pulaski Road near West 66th Place, police said. Her son was taken to Christ Hospital, where he died hours later.

Hernandez is expected to make his first court appearance Friday.

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