Suspect ambushed victim of road rage shooting that left 3-year-old dead in 2022, prosecutors say

The suspect in a 2022 traffic-hit shooting case that killed a 3-year-old boy ambushed his victims as the boy’s mother walked around the block because she knew she was being followed, Cook County prosecutors said Friday.

Police said the killing of three-year-old Mateo Zastro on September 22, 2022, was the result of an outburst of aggression in traffic.

The public prosecutor did not use this term on Friday. Instead, they explained that the victim and the defendant allegedly met for the first time when they were merging into a construction site that evening.

Defendant Govanni Hernandez and his wife were returning from a gun shop in Oak Forest. The gun they bought was not the murder weapon, prosecutors said.

As Hernandez and his wife were returning in separate cars, they both entered a construction zone and encountered Veronica Zastro, who was driving her four children, including Mateo, home.

Prosecutors did not explain what kind of interaction they had near Cicero Avenue and Marquette Road. But Zastro was soon followed by Hernandez, who was driving a red Dodge Charger, prosecutors said.

Prosecutors said that at some point, Hernandez and his wife stopped and Hernandez pulled a fabric object from the trunk of his wife’s car. Hernandez then drove off.

Meanwhile, Zastro circled her block, fearing he was being followed. Hernandez turned into an alley and waited for Zastro to pass again, prosecutors said.

As the car approached, Hernandez “came out of the alley” wearing a black face mask. He opened fire on the car, hitting Mateo in the back of the head, prosecutors said. Hernandez then allegedly got into his wife’s car and abandoned his car near the crime scene.

In court, prosecutors presented a litany of evidence against Hernandez – including DNA and fingerprint matches, video surveillance and positive identification. The shooting was reportedly seen on surveillance video showing someone wearing a distinctive Chicago Bulls jersey and cap. Surveillance video from the gun store taken the same evening shows Hernandez wearing the same jersey and cap, prosecutors said.

But despite the huge amount of evidence and the positive DNA match confirmed in August 2023, police were not able to arrest Hernandez until Tuesday at his Berwyn home.

Hernandez appeared in a Cook County courtroom Friday wearing a light-colored hoodie and red sweatpants. Judge Deidre Dyer ordered him remanded in custody on a charge of first-degree murder. His next court date is August 6.