A West Side man who was on electronic home monitoring for allegedly possessing a stolen firearm as a felon, shot five people Saturday, killing two of them, according to prosecutors.
He is the latest example of people being accused of committing violent crimes while free on Cook County’s affordable bail program. But proponents of the bail reform efforts insist that such cases are very rare.
Timmy Jordan, 39, shot five people who were attending a party in his back yard early Saturday, prosecutors said. One of the party-goers, a licensed concealed carry holder, returned fire before he died, according to the state. Jordan was struck and critically injured by that man’s gunfire.
Prosecutors said Jordan ordered the group to leave around 2 a.m. and then began shooting.
CPD records show Jordan was arrested in April 2019 for being a felon in possession of a firearm and possession of a stolen firearm. He went home on electronic monitoring to await trial by posting a $500 deposit bond.
“Every weekend, we can bring forth an example of a person out of jail that should be in jail,” CPD Supt. David Brown said while recapping the weekend’s violence during a press conference Monday.
Jordan has five previous felony convictions, including two for illegal gun possession.
More examples
It’s been almost a year since Cook County Chief Judge Timothy Evans boldly claimed that “we haven’t had any horrible incidents occur” under his affordable bail initiative.
Recently, Cook County State’s Kim Foxx claimed that “only 1%” of people that her office charged with gun crimes during the first six months of this year were charged with a second gun crime during the same six month period. Critics say Foxx’s claim is skewed because she unrealistically limits the amount of time that gun defendants are given to qualify as a re-offender.
For example, Jordan — who allegedly shot five and killed two over the weekend — does not qualify for Foxx’s re-offender count because his pending gun case began before January 1 and, additionally, the alleged murders happened after June 30.
CWBChicago researchers continue to find cases that seem to paint a questionable picture of the county’s bail program’s success with accused gun offenders. Here’s another newly-discovered example:
On February 16, prosecutors charged 18-year-old Dimitris Horns with aggravated unlawful use of a weapon and possessing a gun with a defaced serial number after he allegedly ditched a handgun while running from police.
Judge David Navarro allowed Horns to go onto electronic monitoring by posting a $500 deposit bond, according to court records.
Then, on July 8, Horns repeatedly pistol-whipped a man and shot him in the leg during a robbery that netted Horns $130, according to allegations made in court.
Prosecutors charged him with aggravated discharge of a firearm, discharging a firearm causing bodily harm during a robbery, and other felonies. He was also charged with escaping electronic monitoring and held on a warrant for reckless discharge of a firearm as a juvenile, according to court records.
Horns’ case does not qualify for Foxx’s “repeat offender” tally because the second alleged crime occurred after June 30, the deadline for qualifying as a “reoffender” under her scenario.