#35: Man murdered another in cold blood while on bond for gun case, prosecutors say

A man with a pending felony gun case shot and killed another man in cold blood earlier this year, prosecutors said Thursday. When police arrested Larry Hogan this week to face murder charges, he allegedly had a handgun capable of generating automatic gunfire and a 50-round drum-style ammunition magazine in his backpack. He is the 35th person accused of killing, trying to kill, or shooting someone in Chicago this year while on felony bond.

Assistant State’s Attorney James Murphy said the victim, 21-year-old Gerald Kates, was walking home on the 6300 block of South Artesian at 10:49 on January 7 when Hogan walked up, extended his arm, and shot him three times. Kates, shot in the back, buttocks, and the back of his right thigh, died.

Kates’ stepfather and sister heard the gunfire, and the stepfather looked out a window in time to see Hogan holding an object inside his pocket, Murphy said.

The stepfather shouted out that Hogan had shot Kates and Kates’ sister ran to the window in time to see Hogan running away.

Both witnesses saw Hogan daily around the neighborhood, according to Murphy. A third witness who looked outside after hearing gunfire also reported seeing Hogan run down an alley.

Murphy said the shooting was captured on video, but the gunman’s face is not visible in the footage. However, the killer’s clothing — torn jeans, black sneakers, and a black hooded jacket worn over a white hoodie — were identical to the clothes Hogan wore to a nearby sandwich shop about 25 minutes before the murder, Murphy said, citing surveillance video. Other videos allegedly show Hogan running from the murder scene to his home about three blocks away.

Hogan, 20, posted a $100 deposit to get out of jail after prosecutors charged him with unlawful use of a weapon in January 2020. He stopped showing up for court hearings after the murder, court records show.

Police arrested Hogan Tuesday. He shoved them, tried to escape, and repeatedly tried to grab a gun out of his backpack as he struggled with officers, Murphy said. One officer reportedly suffered a broken hand during the struggle. Another cop punched Hogan in the face so they could get him into custody.

Murphy said the gun Hogan was reaching for, a handgun equipped with an after-market device that allows it to spray automatic gunfire, was equipped with a holographic sight and a 50-round ammunition magazine.

Prosecutors charged Hogan with first-degree murder, unlawful use of a machine gun, aggravated battery of police, and resisting.

Judge Arthur Willis ordered Hogan held without bail on the murder charge and held without bail for violating bond in the 2020 gun case. Willis set bail on the machine gun and related charges at $250,000. He said Hogan would have to go onto electronic monitoring should he become eligible for release.

Editor’s note: This report continues our coverage of individuals who have been charged with murder, attempted murder, or trying to kill a person while on bond for a pending felony case. CWBChicago began our series of reports in November 2019 after Cook County Chief Judge Timothy Evans publicly stated, “we haven’t had any horrible incidents occur” under the court’s bond reform initiative. You can support CWBChicago’s work by becoming a subscriber today.

Related 2021 stories