CHICAGO — It’s not every day that a guy walks up to Chicago cops at a shooting scene and openly admits he did it. But Chicago cops say that’s exactly what happened in Rogers Park last week. Prosecutors refused to charge the man with murder, though, and a judge declined the state’s request to keep him in jail to await trial.
The shooting occurred just before 2 p.m. Thursday in the 1600 block of West Howard, steps from the Howard CTA station. Chicago police said Kenneth Sandy, 30, got into an argument with another man, and the confrontation turned physical. The other man pulled out a gun and shot Sandy dead. A nearby surveillance camera recorded the shooting, officials said.
When police officers arrived, 25-year-old Kmari Robinson walked up to a cop and admitted he shot Sandy, but claimed it was in self-defense, according to his arrest report. He allegedly told officers he gave the gun to his sister after the shooting.
Sandy died less than 30 minutes later. Police said he suffered two gunshot wounds to the left side of his chest and another to his arm.
An officer noted in the report that prosecutors “rejected” murder charges “due to self defense.” Robinson is only charged with unlawful use of a weapon by a felon.
Prosecutors asked Judge Kelly McCarthy to keep Robinson in jail during a detention hearing over the weekend. They noted that Robinson was convicted of aggravated battery and a hate crime in 2016, so he’s not allowed to possess a gun.
McCarthy nixed that idea and released Robinson on an ankle monitor.
There aren’t many details available about the 2016 case. Court records show Robinson was accused of punching a Hispanic woman in the head and body, breaking her jaw, in the 1600 block of West Juneway Terrace.
He pleaded guilty to a hate crime and aggravated battery in a public place, according to court records. Judge Maura Slattery-Boyle sentenced him to two years for the battery and one year for the hate crime.
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