Wrigleyville Shoot-Out Earns Felon Another 4-Year Sentence

Banks (inset) and one of the many vehicles shot in the incident near Wrigley Field | CWB Chicago reader; IDOC

Nearly 80 shots were fired during a wild gun battle on a Wrigleyville side street in December 2015. Now, the first of two men to be charged in the case is heading to prison.

20-year-old Ralph Banks of Evanston, who had been charged with fourteen separate counts, received a four-year sentence after pleading guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm Wednesday. The other charges were dropped in exchange for his plea.

Police on-scene in December 2015 | @hellokeena

Banks was on parole for aggravated use of a loaded firearm at the time of the December 13, 2015, shoot-out in the 1000 block of West Patterson. He was previously found guilty of attempted murder as a juvenile, court records show.

A 26-year-old North Side rapper was shot in the Wrigleyville incident. Cops recovered three firearms from the street and nearby yards.

Banks was arrested by cops who pursued him from the shooting scene on foot. He was taken into custody near the old Wrigleyville McDonald’s, which has since been razed to make way for a new hotel.

Second Man Charged

Rodriguez | Cook County Sheriff

A second man, also a convicted felon, is still awaiting trial in connection with the Wrigleyville incident.

24-year-old Casey Rodriguez, charged with being a felon in possession of a weapon, is due back in court on February 27. His bail is set at $140,000.

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CWBChicago was created in 2013 by five residents of Wrigleyville and Boystown who had grown disheartened with inaccurate information that was being provided at local Community Policing (CAPS) meetings. Our coverage area has expanded since then to cover Lincoln Park, River North, The Loop, Uptown, and other North Side Areas. But our mission remains unchanged: To provide original public safety reporting with better context and greater detail than mainstream media outlets. Our editorial email address is news@cwbchicago.com