CHICAGO — Prosecutors have charged a man with shooting at a car occupied by two off-duty Chicago police officers on the Near West Side last month. Derrien Johnson, 18, was on pretrial release for two felony gun cases in juvenile court at the time of the incident on June 3, officials said.
He is the 19th person accused of shooting, killing, or trying to shoot or kill someone in Chicago this year while on pretrial release.
The alleged victims were in the 1200 block of West 13th Street when someone fired a gun toward them around 7:30 p.m., police said. They reported that a man on a Divvy bike fired shots and that a black sedan may have been involved, too.
Investigators reviewed CPD surveillance footage and an officer identified Johnson as the shooter, according to his arrest report. An officer who reviewed the footage “immediately” recognized Johnson based on previous contact, the report said.
Prosecutors said Johnson fired “numerous” shots toward the car where both men were seated. Johnson also admitted to firing the gun, Judge Susana Ortiz said in a detention order. Among the other reasons Ortiz gave for detaining Johnson was the fact that he is on juvenile release for two weapons cases.
The report did not explicitly identify the victims as Chicago police officers; however, the addresses listed for their home and workplace are 3510 South Michigan, which is Chicago Public Safety Headquarters. The victims are also identified in public records as CPD officers.
Johnson is not accused of shooting at the men because they are police officers, nor do records indicate that he knew of their occupations.
Prosecutors charged him with two counts of aggravated discharge of a firearm toward an occupied vehicle and manufacture-delivery of marijuana.
The “not horrible” series
This report continues our coverage of individuals accused of killing, shooting, or trying to kill or shoot others on pretrial release 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.
On September 18, 2023, Illinois eliminated cash bail entirely. Our “not horrible” continues.
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.
Previous reporting
Original reporting you’ll see nowhere else, paid for by our readers. Click here to support our work.
