Jamari Terry appeared in felony bond court on May 7 after police arrested him for allegedly soliciting narcotics sales and possessing between 15 and 100 grams of heroin in West Garfield Park. Judge Barbara Dawkins sent him home on his own recognizance, and Terry showed up for his next court date on May 23.
Three days later, prosecutors say, Terry shot a man five times in the 700 block of South Pulaski, less than a block from where police arrested him in the pending narcotics case.
He is the 26th person accused of killing or shooting—or attempting to kill or shoot—someone in Chicago while on bail for a felony this year. The alleged crimes involved at least 56 victims, 12 of whom died.
Jamari Terry | CPD
On the morning of May 26, around 11:30 a.m., a 29-year-old man arrived for an appointment at a medical clinic in the 700 block of South Pulaski. Prosecutors said that as he walked from the parking lot to the clinic door, he noticed Terry standing nearby and recognized him from a previous visit to the same clinic.
When they crossed paths last year, Terry told the man he would kill him if he ever returned, according to Assistant State’s Attorney LaKeya Duncan.
Duncan said that after entering the clinic in May, the man told a security guard that he was worried about his safety because Terry was outside.
To allay the man’s fears, the security guard agreed to bring his medication outside.
As the guard and the man entered an alley on the side of the clinic, Terry allegedly told the man, “you know what it is,” and began shooting from close range. Police found nine shell casings at the scene.
According to Duncan, five rounds struck the victim in the chest, arm, abdomen, and leg. The victim’s girlfriend, who accompanied him to the clinic, drove him to the hospital. He suffered a collapsed lung, underwent several surgeries, and was hospitalized for a week.
Terry has three juvenile delinquency adjudications, according to Duncan: armed violence in 2019, aggravated unlawful use of a weapon in 2019, and possession of a stolen motor vehicle in 2020. He is on juvenile parole for the 2020 case.
Private defense attorney Jayne Ingles said Terry attends high school and manages a veterinary clinic. She argued that the alleged victim was the only person who identified Terry as the shooter.
Judge Susana Ortiz held Terry without bail on charges of attempted first-degree murder and aggravated battery by discharging a firearm. She also held him without bail for violating the bond conditions in his pending narcotics case.
The “not horrible” series
This report continues our coverage of individuals accused of killing, shooting, or trying to kill or shoot others 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 brought charges in less than 5% of non-fatal shootings and 33% of murders, according to the city’s data.
