CHICAGO — A 17-year-old Chicago boy with a pending gun case in juvenile court cut off his electronic ankle monitor and killed a man at a South Side gas station last month, prosecutors said Thursday.
Lamari Buchanan is the 22nd 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 at least 36 victims, 11 of whom died.
New allegations
A juvenile arrest warrant was out for Buchanan on September 15, the day of the murder, because he had cut off his electronic monitoring band while facing multiple gun charges in juvenile court, Assistant State’s Attorney Anne McCord Rodgers told Judge David Kelly during a detention hearing yesterday.
Surveillance cameras were rolling at the Citgo, 10007 South Michigan, when Buchanan walked in around 5:25 p.m., wearing a hoodie with an AK47 design on the front and two distinctive tattoos visible on his face, said Rodgers.
Two men walked into the busy store as Buchanan set some chips and other items on the check-out counter. He made eye contact with them, pulled a handgun from his hoodie pocket, and started shooting at them, Rodgers said.
One of the men returned fire while running from the store; the other man, 29, fell to the ground with a gunshot wound to his head. He died a short time later.
Rodgers said three Chicago police officers recognized Buchanan from the store’s surveillance footage. On Instagram, investigators found “multiple” videos posted on September 12 and 14 showing Buchanan in the AK47 hoodie holding a two-tone handgun like the one he fired inside the store, Rodgers continued.
Crime lab technicians allegedly found Buchanan’s fingerprint on a bag of chips recovered from the crime scene.
Buchanan ran from Chicago police officers who tried to arrest him on Tuesday. They caught him and recovered a loaded 9-millimeter handgun in his pant leg, Rodgers said. The weapon had an automatic fire switch and a defaced serial number. But, laboratory analysis determined that the gun was not used at the gas station.
Judge Kelly ordered Buchanan detained as a public safety threat to await trial on new charges of first-degree murder and possessing a defaced firearm.
The “not horrible” series
This report continues our coverage of individuals accused of killing, shooting, or trying to kill or shoot others awaiting trial for a felony allegation. 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 awaiting trial for felony allegations 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.Â
Previous reporting
#6: Man killed 1, tried to kill another while on felony bail, prosecutors say (April 29, 2023)
#15: Hitman killed target while on bail for trying to disarm a cop, prosecutors say (July 22, 2023)
#19: 3 charged in armed robbery turned shooting in Homan Square (September 2, 2023)
