#57: Man shot store clerk while on bond for felony gun case, prosecutors say

Prosecutors on Friday charged 20-year-old Major Traylor with shooting a food store employee last month while on bond for a felony gun case. Three weeks later, before police arrested him for the shooting, Traylor pleaded guilty to the gun case in exchange for a sentence of “first time gun offender probation.”

He is the 57th person accused of killing, trying to kill, or shooting someone in Chicago this year while awaiting trial for a felony. A total of 83 victims are involved in those crimes.

Traylor, two other men and a woman went to the food store on the 4900 block of South Drexel around 11:54 a.m. on November 16, Assistant State’s Attorney Sergio Gomez said.

Traylor struck up a conversation with an employee who was taking out garbage as the other three began grabbing and pushing the victim, Gomez said. According to Gomez, one of the other men pulled out a gun and pointed it at the victim’s chest, causing the 32-year-old to run into the store.

Video also shows Traylor, who was not wearing a mask, pulling out a gun as the victim struggled with the attackers, Gomez said. Traylor pointed the gun at the victim, and smoke was seen coming from his weapon, indicating that he fired shots, according to Gomez.

The victim was shot in the left side of his chest and suffered a graze wound to his left arm. Gomez said he was hospitalized until November 23.

Traylor admitted to being at the crime scene, but denied shooting the victim, after police arrested him Thursday, Gomez said. The alleged accomplices remain at large.

On Monday, Traylor pleaded guilty to felony unlawful use of a weapon for a case filed against him in March, court records show. In that incident, police allegedly found a loaded handgun with a laser sight in Traylor’s waistband during a traffic stop.

Judge Mary Marubio allowed Traylor to go home on a 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. curfew by posting a $300 deposit during a March bond hearing.

During sentencing on Monday, Judge Neera Walsh gave Traylor two years of “first offender gun probation,” which would result in no conviction showing on his record if he successfully completes the sentence. She also sentenced him to 50 hours of community service.

He won’t be in the community any time soon because Judge Kelly McCarthy ordered him held without bail on charges of attempted first-degree murder.

“I’m expecting a child,” Traylor said after hearing McCarthy’s decision. “I don’t want to be in custody.”

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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