Prosecutors have filed felony gun charges against a third adult in connection with last weekend’s “large group” incident in Millennium Park and the Loop. Two juveniles also face gun charges.
Willie Johnson, 18, was arrested at 11:44 p.m. Saturday on Jackson Boulevard, just West of State Street.
Police went to the intersection to handle calls of a man with a gun who was running with another man who had been shot. Cops stopped Johnson because he matched that description and they found a loaded handgun in his waistband, Assistant State’s Attorney LaKeya Duncan said.
In fact, two people were shot at the intersection just moments earlier when two juveniles fired guns into a group of people on the 300 block of South State, according to CPD. A man who appeared to be between 18- and 20-years-old was taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital in critical condition with gunshot wounds to his neck and chest. And an 18-year-old was taken to Stroger Hospital in fair condition with a gunshot wound to his left hand, police said Sunday.
Duncan said Johnson told police he heard gunfire, paused, then took his gun out. But he denied firing the weapon.
Johnson had never been arrested before, Duncan said. He is charged with aggravated unlawful use of a weapon.
“At 18, openly displaying this firearm while running through this area with someone who apparently had been shot,” Judge Susana Ortiz summarized after hearing the allegations. She set bail at $30,000 with electronic monitoring. Johnson must post 10% of the bail amount to get out of jail.
Assistant Public Defender Suzin Farber said Johnson is studying psychology at Grambling State University.
Prosecutors charged two other adults with felony gun possession in connection with the group incident.
Marion Richardson, a juvenile, is charged with second-degree murder and other charges for allegedly shooting a 16-year-old near The Bean sculpture on Saturday evening. Prosecutors also charged another teenager who was near the shooting scene with felony gun possession, police said.
According to CPD records, police arrested seven adults for allegations related to the hours-long group incident. Police said 26 juveniles were also arrested, but that number is impossible to verify because juvenile arrest records are not available to the public.