#23 and #24: Two more men accused of shooting people while on bail for felonies

A man on bail for aggravated assault of a police officer and another man who was AWOL with a pending felony case are the 23rd and 24th persons charged with killing, shooting, or trying to shoot someone in Chicago this year while on bond for felonies, according to records maintained by CWBChicago.

#23

Lekeon Gibson, 30, shot a man four times last month while on bond for felony aggravated assault of a police officer, according to prosecutors.

The alleged victim was riding a four-wheeler in the street near the 1900 block of South Trumbull when he noticed a Dodge Durango was following him — and its passenger was pointing a handgun at him — around 1 p.m. on May 30, according to police and prosecutors.

He tried to get away, but he heard gunfire and was struck by bullets in his testicles, buttocks, and knee, prosecutors said.

Police arrived in time to see the Durango speed from the scene. They followed the SUV until the passenger bailed out and ran through a park. The CPD helicopter helped police find Gibson, who was hiding on a stairwell, prosecutors said. Cops located a handgun near a spot where the helicopter crew allegedly saw Gibson briefly stop running during his escape attempt.

Lakeon Gibson (left) and Eric Jones | CPD

Investigators also found shell casings inside the Durango and at the shooting scene, prosecutors said. A second gun was allegedly found near the SUV’s center console, but the driver managed to escape. Police said the victim identified Gibson as the shooter.

Gibson has four felony convictions, including reckless discharge of a firearm and aggravated battery, prosecutors said. Just two months after he was paroled in the reckless discharge case, he was arrested for allegedly threatening a CPD sergeant who was trying to apprehend a juvenile that was allegedly seen running with a handgun, according to prosecutors.

Judge Arthur Willis released Gibson on his own recognizance in that case.

He is now charged with aggravated battery by discharging a firearm in the shooting. His defense lawyer said the shooting “doesn’t make any sense…what is the connection?”

But Judge Mary Marubio was not swayed.

“You have discharged a weapon before. You were discharged from parole for that case in August 2020…not even a year ago,” Marubio said before ordering Gibson held without bail in the shooting and held without bail for violating the terms of his release in the aggravated assault case.

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#24

The second man, 27-year-old Eric Jones of Lake County, is accused of shooting a man in the South Loop on June 4..

Prosecutors said video showed a group of people standing and talking on the 2100 block of South Michigan around 11:08 p.m. when Jones began yelling profanities and shot at them. A 30-year-old Downers Grove man in the group fell to the ground and Jones continued firing at him, prosecutors alleged. A bullet shattered the victim’s thigh bone and severed an artery, according to prosecutors.

Police arrested Jones after vehicle and foot pursuits, prosecutors said. They found a gun in the car he allegedly bailed from and a second gun along the path he ran before police arrested him. Three witnesses identified Jones as the shooter, prosecutors said.

Jones, a father of four, is on disability because he is experiencing complications from a gunshot wound, according to his public defender.

At the time of the shooting, Jones was AWOL on a felony false identification case. He reportedly has a pending felony case in Michigan for conducting a criminal enterprise, and he’s been to prison in Illinois for escaping electronic monitoring, aggravated unlawful use of a weapon, and possessing an altered ID.

Prosecutors said he gave police a fake name and a false ID when they arrested him after the shooting.

Jones is charged with aggravated battery by discharging a firearm, aggravated battery causing great bodily harm, and possessing a fraudulent ID. Judge Susana Ortiz ordered him held without bail in the shooting and for violating the terms of bond in his previous false identification case.

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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