CHICAGO — Prosecutors said Friday that an 18-year-old Chicago man with a pending gun case shot his younger brother in the chest because he was “tired of” the sibling. The victim, 16, survived.
Owen Brown is the tenth person accused of shooting, killing, or trying to shoot or kill someone in Chicago this year while awaiting trial for a felony. The cases involve 13 victims, six of whom died.
Prosecutors said Brown’s brother was sleeping in the family’s home on the 4200 block of West Walton when Brown woke him up around 2 a.m. Thursday.
“I’m tired of you,” Brown allegedly told the boy before shooting him in the chest and arm. He then told his younger brother not to tell anyone about the shooting, prosecutors said.
Instead, the boy got up and asked his mom to call 911. When police arrived, Brown was covering his brother’s wounds with a blanket, prosecutors said during his bail hearing on Friday.
The boy allegedly told hospital workers that his brother was the person who shot him.
Brown is charged with aggravated battery by discharging a firearm. Prosecutors said the case was his first adult arrest. But they said he has a pending aggravated unlawful use of a weapon case, filed earlier this year, in juvenile court.
His defense attorney said he is scheduled to graduate high school later this month.
Judge Susana Ortiz ordered Brown to pay a $10,000 bail deposit to be released on electronic monitoring.
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.
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Previous reporting
#6: Man killed 1, tried to kill another while on felony bail, prosecutors say (April 29, 2023)
