Family attorney Jonathan Manes warns delay threatens the shooting investigation
Jonathan ManesAttorney for the Villegas González family, MacArthur Justice Center
Family attorney Jonathan Manes told ABC7 Chicago that speed can matter in investigations like this one, warning that evidence, witnesses and video can disappear if they are not gathered soon. ABC7 paired the remark with its report that the Illinois State Police investigation began in May 2026, nearly eight months after the shooting. ABC7 also reported, citing Manes, that the family is planning to sue the U.S. government over the death.
“In these kinds of investigations, speed can matter. Evidence, witnesses, eyewitnesses, video. These sorts of things can disappear if you don't get them soon.”
Reporting
Where this statement fits
Was ICE justified in fatally shooting Silverio Villegas González?
On September 12, 2025, an unnamed U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent fatally shot Silverio Villegas González during a vehicle stop in Franklin Park, Illinois. The Department of Homeland Security said Villegas González refused commands, drove at officers, struck and dragged one agent a significant distance, and caused the shooter to fear for his life. An Illinois Accountability Commission review of surveillance and police body-camera footage said Villegas González reversed about 50 feet and then drove into an open lane away from the agents before two shots were heard. The commission said the available evidence did not establish whether or how an agent was hit or dragged, and found reasonable cause to investigate a shooting without apparent justification. Illinois State Police opened an investigation in May 2026. The dispute is whether Villegas González posed an imminent threat when the agent fired.
Source and context
Reporting
About this source
ABC7 Chicago (WLS-TV) I-Team report published nearly a year after the shooting. It reports, citing family attorney Jonathan Manes of the MacArthur Justice Center, that the family is planning to sue the U.S. government over the death, and quotes Manes on the forensic evidence, the unnamed agent who fired and the risk that evidence and witnesses are lost when an investigation is slow.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Before the quotation
Nearly a year after the shooting, ABC7 reported that the results of any federal investigation were unknown, and Manes said the names of the agents who conducted the stop had not been made public. The Illinois State Police Public Integrity Task Force opened its investigation in May 2026, and Manes said the family feared investigators would struggle to find the evidence needed to prove charges in state court.
After the quotation
The Cook County State's Attorney's office told ABC7 it could not comment on the ongoing Illinois State Police investigation but was prepared to bring charges against federal officers if the facts warrant it.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
Manes speaks for a family that, according to ABC7, is planning to sue the U.S. government over the death. He warns that evidence and witnesses can be lost when investigators do not act quickly, a remark ABC7 placed after reporting that the state investigation began nearly eight months after the shooting. The statement faults the delay in investigating the killing as part of the family's push for accountability for the death.
- Recorded on
- Published here
- People and groups discussed
- U.S. Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
Corrections to this statement
These notices document reporting corrections, classification changes, and topic-label updates.
Reporting correction
Correction to: Statement by Jonathan Manes
- Previous language
- The Villegas-Gonzalez family is planning to sue the U.S. government over his death... In these kinds of investigations, speed can matter. Evidence, witnesses, eyewitnesses, video. These sorts of things can disappear if you don't get them soon.
- Corrected language
- In these kinds of investigations, speed can matter. Evidence, witnesses, eyewitnesses, video. These sorts of things can disappear if you don't get them soon.
An earlier version of this entry placed ABC7 Chicago's paraphrase, that the family is planning to sue the U.S. government over the death, inside Jonathan Manes's quotation. Those were the reporter's words, not his. The quotation now contains only words ABC7 attributes directly to Manes, and the planned lawsuit is described in the summary as ABC7's report. The earlier summary and context also described a wrongful-death suit and tied his remark to the federal investigation. ABC7 did not describe the type of suit, and it reported the remark after noting that the Illinois State Police investigation began nearly eight months after the shooting.
This corrects our account of what happened.
ABC7 Chicago (WLS-TV) I-Team report published nearly a year after the shooting. It reports, citing family attorney Jonathan Manes of the MacArthur Justice Center, that the family is planning to sue the U.S. government over the death, and quotes Manes on the forensic evidence, the unnamed agent who fired and the risk that evidence and witnesses are lost when an investigation is slow.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)More from this case
Read the full caseFamily attorney Jonathan Manes condemns federal silence on shooter's identity
“It's shocking that a year after the shooting, the federal government has refused to release any information about ICE officers that took a man's life on our streets... They haven't even provided the name of the officer who shot Silverio and killed him.”Read statement
Lawrence Benito calls Villegas González’s death a murder
“Whether it be the apartment raids in South Shore, the shooting of Marimar Martinez in Brighton Park, or the murder of Silverio Villegas González, it’s been proven that ICE does NOT keep us safe - they are designed to intimidate communities of color and deport as many people as possible.”Read statement
Jesús García calls the Silverio shooting a murder
“In both cases, ICE has lied about the facts that led to these murders, just like they lied when they killed Silverio Villegas Gonzalez and shot Marimar Martinez in Chicago last year.”Read statement
Cite this record
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- The Dispute Index
- Title
- Family attorney Jonathan Manes warns delay threatens the shooting investigation
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- https://disputeindex.com/events/1557-family-attorney-jonathan-manes-told-abc7-chicago-that
Last updated marks the most recent saved version of this published statement.
The Dispute Index. "Family attorney Jonathan Manes warns delay threatens the shooting investigation". First published: 2026-09-23. Last updated: 2026-09-25. https://disputeindex.com/events/1557-family-attorney-jonathan-manes-told-abc7-chicago-that