A violent criminal who was released on parole has killed three people and shot one of his victim’s daughters in the head. Chicago’s top police officer is now begging judges to “throw away the key” and officially get him “off our streets.”
Samuel Parsons-Salas is a 32-year-old felon who was convicted in 2014 of an armed home invasion in which two people were shot dead.
Less than three months after being released on parole, Parsons-Salas was caught on surveillance footage grabbing a gun from a vehicle outside of a Chicago bar called Vera’s Lounge. He then proceeded to shoot three people, killing them.
The daughter of one of the victims ran to her murdered father as he lay dying on the sidewalk. Parsons-Salas walked over and shot her in the head. Miraculously, this did not kill her immediately but rather left her in critical condition. She is currently fighting for her life in the hospital.
Parsons-Salas was inside the Vera Lounge during the 25th birthday of the owner’s niece, Maria Vera, the woman he would later shoot in the head at point-blank.
He was reportedly kicked out of the party after a “disturbance,” which prompted him to grab his gun and open fire.
His three victims were Vera’s 50-year-old father, Ricky Vera, 26-year-old Mario Pozuelos, and Mercedes Imari, a 24-year-old mother of three.
After the shooting, Parsons-Salas jumped into the passenger side of an SUV that drove away from the scene. The following day, he was arrested after trying to evade SWAT officers and taking a woman as a hostage in his attempts to escape capture.
Chicago Police Supt. David Brown addressed the incident during a press conference, calling for the violent felon to be met with serious consequences for his “horrific” actions, urging a judge to “throw away the key.”
“Get this person off our streets,” said Brown. “Don’t release him on electronic monitoring because he is a danger not only to this community but to the city of Chicago at large. Throw the book at him.”
Pozuelo’s family commented on their tragic loss, saying, “He was taken from us too soon due to a senseless act of gun violence. Our Mario had his whole life ahead.”
Miguel Gordillo, the father of Imari’s children, is “devastated” over her untimely death, and described her as a “wonderful mother to our three precious babies.”
“She absolutely adored our babied and made our family the center of her life,” said Gordillo. “She was especially excited to celebrate the holidays and was looking forward to gathering with our extended families and creating beautiful memories with our babies.”
Parsons-Salas has been charged with three counts of murder, attempted murder, and kidnapping.
