#55: Man killed 2, shot 3 more while awaiting trial for carjacking, prosecutors say

Prosecutors have charged an 18-year-old man with participating in a mass shooting that left two teenagers dead and three other people injured this summer. Detrevion Williams was awaiting trial for vehicular hijacking in juvenile court at the time of the slayings, according to prosecutors.

He is the 55th person accused of killing, trying to kill, or shooting someone in Chicago this year while awaiting trial for a felony. A total of 81 victims are involved in those crimes.

Just after 6 p.m. on July 21, Williams and another gunman stepped out of a gangway on the 1300 block of South Christiana and began shooting at a group of people who were standing nearby, Assistant State’s Attorney James Konstantopoulos said.

Three people suffered non-fatal gunshot wounds while Damarion Benson, 15, and Devion Wright, 16, were killed, according to Konstantopoulos and medical examiner records.

Konstantopoulos laid out detailed descriptions of various surveillance videos that link Williams to the shooting. He said phone data also put Williams at the shooting scene and other key locations,

Police pulled over a car linked to the shooting suspects one day after the killings, but Williams, wearing a distinctive turquoise hoodie, ran from the scene, Konstantopoulos said. Cops allegedly recovered a handgun from the center console next to where Williams was sitting, and investigators determined that it fired some of the bullets at the shooting.

Investigators also found his fingerprint on the gas cap of a stolen BMW that was used by the shooters, according to Konstantopoulos. That vehicle had been reported stolen from a suburban car dealership. Video allegedly shows a man in a turquoise hoodie driving it from the lot.

Police arrested Williams this week on two counts of first-degree murder. Konstantopoulos said the state intends to file “multiple” counts of attempted first-degree murder at a future date.

He told Judge Susana Ortiz that Williams has a carjacking case pending in juvenile court. Williams was also charged with a separate count of possessing a stolen motor vehicle and fleeing-eluding on Halloween. That car was also stolen from a suburban dealership, according to prosecutors.

Ortiz ordered Williams held without bail on the murder charges.

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.

The actual number of murders and shootings committed by people on felony bail is undoubtedly much higher than the numbers seen here. Since 2017, CPD has made arrests in just 4% of shootings and 31% of murders, according to the city’s data. You can support CWBChicago’s work by becoming a subscriber today.

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