A Chicago man wanted in connection with a homicide in the city was arrested early Wednesday following a shootout with Illinois State Police in Springfield, authorities said.
A state trooper was shot in the leg while interacting with Cristobal Santana, 37, state police said, describing Santana as a suspect in a Chicago killing without detailing the crime in question. Santana was being held in the shooting of the trooper at midday Wednesday, authorities said.
Family members of slain Chicago Public Schools pre-K teacher Adrianna Lopez told the Tribune on Tuesday that Santana was Lopez’s ex-boyfriend. They said they had seen video showing someone shooting and killing Lopez in the Garfield Ridge neighborhood Sunday night.
According to Chicago police, a “known man” in a dark SUV approached and shot Lopez 10 times in the chest on the sidewalk outside her home in the 5400 block of South Narragansett Avenue. CPD has not officially named Santana as a suspect and declined Wednesday to say whether a suspect in Lopez’s killing was in custody after the Springfield shooting.
Lopez had filed for an order of protection against Santana a month ago, Lopez’s cousin Martiza Torres said.
A Cook County sheriff’s office spokesperson could not confirm whether Lopez had been granted an order of protection, citing a law requiring such orders to be sealed until they are served.
Torres was still struggling to wrap her head around the death of the woman who had been like a sister to her Tuesday afternoon.
“It’s unbelievable,” she said. “I’m still in denial.”
Another family member reviewed surveillance footage in possession of police showing Lopez’s killing, Torres said.
Lopez’s parents had been visiting from Mexico. She was shot the day after they left, Torres said.
Santana changed his name from Darrell Rice in 2019, court records show. He has not been charged with any crimes related to Lopez’s death.
Lopez taught at Davis Elementary School, Torres said. She often helped care for the children in her large family, though she had no children herself. Lopez advised her nieces and nephews on which courses they should take. She was still in school, pursuing a graduate degree although she already had a master’s, Torres said.
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“She had so much going for her,” Torres said. “At this point I’m just lost for words. I don’t even know what to think.”
The slain teacher worked hard to guide the children in her extended family onto “the right path,” her sister Norma Lopez said in Spanish through a translator.
“She was a very happy person,” Lopez said. “She was always very helpful with everyone.”