An Uptown man faces felony gun charges after police responded to calls of people filming a video with a handgun on the street Thursday evening.
As it turns out, the video crew didn’t have the only camera in the area.
Cops went to the 4400 block of North Magnolia to investigate calls of people with a gang filming a music video, throwing up gang signs, and brandishing a gun around 5:30 p.m., according to prosecutors and CPD records.
While police rolled to the scene, other officers pulled up the feed from a CPD surveillance camera that is strapped to a pole at a nearby intersection. The camera footage confirmed that there was a group filming a video there.
The video shoot broke up as police arrived, but CPD’s camera crew continued to watch as James Sims carried a shirt with an object inside toward a nearby car, Assistant State’s Attorney Brian Burkhardt said.
Sims allegedly placed the shirt and object on the car’s passenger seat, then walked away. Police found a loaded gun inside the shirt, according to Burkhardt.
Sims, 22, is has been on probation for multiple narcotics cases since September, according to his defense attorney.
Prosecutors charged Sims on Friday with unlawful use of a weapon by a felon.
Judge Arthur Willis ordered Sims held without bail for violating the conditions of probation. Willis set bail in the new gun case at $5,000.
