On the evening of March 2, 2020, Francisco Mangana, a 31-year-old man, was simply walking home from his job in Chicago, Illinois. He had just stopped at a gas station to buy a soda and was crossing the street in the 2600 block of West 59th Street when his life was abruptly and senselessly ended. Unbeknownst to him, his path crossed with a predator who was just beginning a nine-month span of random, unprovoked violence that would terrorize the city's Southwest Side.
Francisco was the first known victim in a series of shootings that authorities would later attribute to a single killer. His family remembers him as a hardworking man who was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. His death was sudden and without reason, leaving his loved ones to grapple with a profound and inexplicable loss.
He was one of six people who would be killed in a string of attacks that seemed to have no motive, connection, or warning.
The investigation into Francisco's death was one piece of a much larger and more complex puzzle for Chicago police. Over the following months, more victims fell in similar, seemingly random shootings across neighborhoods like Gage Park and Brighton Park. The list of deceased grew to include 21-year-old Claudio Cossio, 16-year-old Damian Duran, 26-year-old Luis Davalos Garcia, 31-year-old Jose Martinez, and 20-year-old Justin Gonzalez. The randomness of the attacks was a defining and terrifying feature; victims were targeted while sitting in a car, taking their children to buy a puppy, or, like Francisco, just walking down the street.
A major break in the sprawling investigation came when detectives recovered a.40-caliber handgun that ballistics testing linked to several of the crime scenes. This crucial piece of evidence allowed investigators to connect the disparate shootings to one individual. They also utilized the suspect's significant social media presence, where he reportedly went by the nickname "Redrum"—murder spelled backward—to link him to the locations of the shootings.
The trail ultimately led police to Antonio Reyes, who was just a teenager, between 16 and 17 years old, during the 2020 killing spree. Reyes was first arrested and charged in late 2020 for the murder of Luis Davalos Garcia. He remained in custody as the complex investigation continued. For years, the families of the other victims waited for answers, their grief compounded by the lack of resolution in their loved ones' cases.
In February 2025, a grand jury returned a new indictment, formally charging the now 21-year-old Reyes with the murders of Francisco Mangana and the four other victims, in addition to four counts of attempted murder. Authorities stated that there was no evidence to suggest Reyes knew any of his victims, confirming the random nature of his alleged crimes. Prosecutors have offered disturbing details about his alleged motivations, suggesting he was a gang member who expressed frustration that his own gang was not committing enough shootings.
Today, Antonio Reyes remains incarcerated, awaiting trial for the string of murders that cast a shadow of fear over Chicago. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges. For the family of Francisco Mangana, the legal proceedings are a long-awaited step toward accountability. While nothing can undo the senseless act of violence that took a hardworking man from his family, the ongoing court case represents the pursuit of justice for a life cut tragically short.
