A man who’s on parole for carjacking the Chicago Tribune’s overnight crime reporter accidentally shot himself in the leg with an illegal handgun during a police street stop on Wednesday afternoon, prosecutors said. He’s now being held without bail and will likely be heading back to prison.
Early on December 4, 2017, Noriyhea Evans was “celebrating” his 18th birthday with a friend when the duo walked up to a woman as she sat inside a car on the parking lot of a Dunkin’ Donuts in Bridgeport. The men knocked on the car window and ordered the woman out. Then, they sped away with her vehicle.
As it turned out, the woman, then 29-years-old, was the Chicago Tribune’s overnight crime reporter. She was sitting in a company car waiting for a story to break when the story came to her — via Evans and the other guy.
Police arrested Evans two days later after cops caught him driving the Tribune’s car the wrong way in Ravenswood. He eventually pleaded guilty to vehicular hijacking, possessing a stolen motor vehicle, and escaping from electronic monitoring in exchange for a four-year sentence.
He was paroled on June 24.
Wednesday afternoon, cops on patrol saw a Dodge Durango with no front plate at a gas pump near Pershing and Wells and decided to take a closer look. Police have been advised to be on the lookout for new Dodge vehicles with fraudulent plates because several have been recently stolen from dealerships.
While police spoke with the Durango’s driver, 19-year-old Jalen Howard, Evans stepped out of the passenger side and started talking with other cops.
As officers leaned into the Durango to examine an object that appeared to be a cannabis dispensary package in the center console, a gunshot rang out. Officers didn’t know where the shot came from because it sounded muffled, according to prosecutors.
That’s when the officers realized that blood was pouring out of Evans’ thigh. And he had a new hole in his pants — with a gun barrel sticking out of it, authorities say.
Police took a loaded handgun with an extended magazine from Evans’ pants and administered first aid, prosecutors said. Cops allegedly found a loaded handgun in Howard’s jacket pocket, too.
While speaking with investigators Wednesday night, Evans reportedly told cops that he is a member of Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx’s extended family. One source said he claimed to be her cousin, while another said he claimed that his mother is Foxx’s cousin.
Foxx’s spokesperson told CWBChicago that Foxx “has no idea who this person is or if they are related to her.”
Evans’ claims didn’t win him any favors. Prosecutors from Foxx’s office charged him with unlawful use of a weapon by a felon and felony reckless discharge of a firearm. The Illinois Department of Corrections also lodged a warrant while they consider revoking Evans’ parole.
Judge Arthur Willis said Evans can get out of jail on electronic monitoring by posting a $5,000 deposit bond if the state decides to release their hold on him.
Howard, who has no criminal history, is charged with aggravated unlawful use of a weapon and driving on a suspended license. Willis is allowing him to go onto electronic monitoring without posting any bond.