Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s office recently told Crain’s reporter Greg Hinz that it could not identify the people on electronic monitoring for murder or attempted murder in the city — or the judges who put them on EM — because the mayor’s office didn’t have access to court files.
So, CWBChicago reviewed the court files. Here’s part nine of our report about who the defendants are, what prosecutors accused them of doing, and which judges ordered them to go onto electronic monitoring if they posted bail.
We decided to look only at cases involving crimes alleged to have occurred in the city by defendants who were placed on electronic monitoring within the past year, regardless of when the crime occurred. That’s 35 cases. We use the defendants’ initials for domestic incidents to protect the victims’ identities.
It is not clear why Lightfoot has decided to focus on these individuals rather than people accused of similar charges who have are on bond without electronic monitoring.
Christopher Solis-Govea, 19, Attempted First-Degree Murder
Prosecutors said Christopher Solis-Govea went missing just three days after being placed on electronic monitoring for a felony gun case in January 2021.
He remained on the loose for seven months and, according to prosecutors, he shot a man in the face while he was on the lam.
Around 5:20 p.m. on March 3, Solis-Govea and his pregnant girlfriend were walking in the Gage Park neighborhood when the passenger of a passing car rolled down their window and yelled something to the woman, Assistant State’s Attorney Gail Bembnister said last summer.
The car’s driver pulled into his nearby destination, a gas station on 2700 block of West 51st Street, and got out of his car while his passenger remained seated.
That’s when Solis-Govea walked up to the passenger side of the car, pulled out a gun, and shot the passenger in his face, Bembnister said. Other than the passing comment the victim allegedly made to Solis-Govea’s girlfriend minutes earlier, they had never met before, Bembnister continued.
Solis-Govea allegedly fled. The car’s driver took the victim to a hospital. Bembnister said the bullet entered the victim’s left cheek and fractured his jaw.
Detectives distributed surveillance images of the gunman to local cops, and “multiple” Chicago police officers recognized Solis-Govea, Bembnister said. His mugshot was included in a photo line-up, and the car’s driver picked him out as the shooter, according to Bembnister. Solis-Govea’s girlfriend allegedly identified herself and Solis-Govea in surveillance images that showed the couple walking together before the shooting.
Judge Arthur Willis ordered Solis-Govea held without bail on a charge of attempted murder on July 22, 2021. Bond was reduced to $50,000 by Judge Lawrence Flood on November 3, and Solis-Govea went home on electronic monitoring again.
Tyree Cooper, 23, Attempted First-Degree Murder
On the afternoon of June 28, 2018, police who responded to a ShotSpotter gunfire alert and calls of a person shot stopped Tyree Cooper because he matched the description of a suspect, according to a CPD arrest report.
“I was running because they were just shooting over there,” Cooper allegedly told the cops.
A witness identified Cooper as the person who fired the gun at the victim, the CPD arrest report said.
Judge Stephanie Miller ordered him held without bail on July 1, 2018.
Cooper remained in jail until January 13, 2021, when Judge Stanley Sacks reduced his bail to $40,000 without electronic monitoring. According to court records, Cooper’s mother posted his 10% deposit bond the same day.
But six months later, on June 2, 2021, prosecutors charged Cooper with illegally possessing a handgun while on bail.
Police responded to a call of several people flashing guns on a South Side street and the group “froze” as police pulled up, Assistant State’s Attorney Loraine Scaduto said, but Cooper allegedly grabbed his waistband and ran toward a nearby Mercedes.
Scaduto said Cooper got into the car’s passenger seat, took a loaded handgun from his waistband, and stashed it behind the driver’s seat. He then got out and ran, she said. Cops arrested him after a short foot chase.
Scaduto added that Cooper was also arrested in Livingston County for illegal possession of ammunition and reckless driving “days” before he was allegedly caught with the gun.
Judge Mary Marubio ordered Cooper held without bail for violating bond terms in the attempted murder case. Two days later, on June 4, Sacks reduced that to $80,000. According to court documents, Cooper’s mother posted an additional $4,000 deposit the same day. Court records indicate Sacks added EM as a condition of Cooper’s release on August 5.
Previous reporting
- Who are the accused murderers and attempted murderers on electronic monitoring? The mayor says she doesn’t know. So, we found out. (January 13, 2022)
- Outraged about alleged murderers being on electronic monitoring, politicians propose a new law — but it doesn’t do what they think it does (January 13, 2022)
- Who are the accused murderers on electronic monitoring in Chicago? Take a look. Part 3. (January 14, 2022)
- Who are the people on electronic monitoring in Chicago while accused of murder and attempted murder? We found out. Part 4. (January 15, 2022)
- Who are the people on electronic monitoring in Chicago while accused of murder and attempted murder? We found out. Part 5 (January 16, 2022)
- The people on electronic monitoring in Chicago include a woman who is accused of shooting a cop in 2019. Part 6. (January 17, 2022)
- Surprise! Man convicted of murder in 2007 is on electronic monitoring in Chicago — waiting to be sentenced. (January 18, 2022)
- Who are the people on electronic monitoring in Chicago while accused of murder? We found out. Part 8. (January 21, 2022)