Prosecutors said that a Wisconsin woman who traveled to Chicago to celebrate her birthday with her child’s father wound up shooting the man during a confrontation on a Loop street corner Sunday morning. And the victim, who is on parole for his third gun conviction, was not only shot, he also ended up being charged with a felony after cops allegedly found $900 worth of pot tucked into his waistband.
Terry Traylor, 42, and Marcus Wilson, 29, argued in their hotel lobby around 4:45 a.m., and it turned physical, Assistant State’s Attorney William Lacy said during Traylor’s bail hearing Tuesday. Two hotel workers saw the couple leave with their infant child, and Lacy said Traylor had blood on her face. The hotel’s desk clerk called 911.
Wilson followed Traylor as she carried the baby to her vehicle at 72 South Franklin and Traylor blocked Wilson from getting into the car, Lacy said. Wilson allegedly hit Traylor with his hand and kicked her.
That’s when Traylor backed up and shot Wilson in the leg as a CPD surveillance camera recorded the incident, Lacy said. Wilson fell to the ground, got up, and hopped back to the hotel on one foot. Traylor drove a short distance and ditched a bloody gun in a trash can, according to Lacy. Police later recovered the weapon.
Meanwhile, Chicago police officers applied a tourniquet to slow Wilson’s blood loss, but they also noticed a suspicious bulge in his waistline, Lacy said. The officers allegedly found two packages containing 900 grams of pot tucked into his pants.
Wilson was reportedly uncooperative with police and did not want to pursue charges. Traylor told police she couldn’t remember how Wilson got shot and she denied having a gun, but she did admit to disposing of a pistol that someone let in her vehicle, Lacy alleged.
Prosecutors charged Traylor with aggravated discharge of a firearm. Judge Susana Ortiz set bail at $100,000. She said Traylor could return home to Milwaukee after posting a 10% bail deposit.
Assistant Public Defender Suzin Farber said Traylor has four children and is a single mother who works as a waitress. She pointed out that Traylor suffered a head injury during the incident and could have an affirmative defense.
Wilson is currently on parole after serving half of an eight-year sentence he received for being a felon in possession of a firearm in 2016. He was also convicted of being a felon in possession of a firearm in 2013 and 2012. He received three-year sentences in both of those cases. He was convicted of burglary in 2010 and received a five-year term.
Ortiz released him on his own recognizance.
