Prosecutors have charged a third man with murder in connection with the fatal shooting of a security guard at Sound-Bar nightclub in River North earlier this year.
Judge Mary Marubio ordered 41-year-old Michael Matthews held in lieu of $500,000 bail after prosecutors Monday filed first degree murder and mob action charges against him. He’s due back in court on Oct. 18.
Police said Matthews surrendered to police on Sunday after he learned that a warrant had been issued for his arrest in the case. Matthews resigned from his job at the city’s Department of Transportation on Friday.
Previously charged and still awaiting trials in the case are 37-year-old Armond Williams of Villa Park and 34-year-old Jon Poole.
During a hearing for Williams earlier this year, prosecutor James Murphy said the trouble began on Feb. 28th when a man arriving at Sound-Bar took exception with the way he was patted-down by security at the club’s entrance. That man, now identified as Matthews, and Williams went back to Sound-Bar on March 8th and got into an argument with 28-year-old doorman Thurmond Bailey and other members of the bar’s staff, Murphy said.
The prosecutor said the fight escalated, Williams punched Thurmond, and Thurmond then pulled out a gun. That prompted Williams to pull out his own gun and fire four rounds before he handed the gun to Poole. Poole allegedly then fired nine more rounds, striking Bailey again and injuring club owner Mark Jurcyzk, according to the state and a police department source.
Bailey fired back, but did not strike anyone. He was pronounced dead less than an hour later.
Matthews is not accused of personally firing any shots during the conflict. Rather, he is charged under an Illinois law that allows individuals who are allegedly involved in a felonious action to be charged with murder if someone is killed during the commission of the crime. In Matthews’ case, the additional felony is forcible mob action.
Marubio ordered Matthews to go onto electronic monitoring if he is able to post a 10% deposit bond of $50,000.
See our previous coverage of the Sound-Bar shooting here.