CHICAGO — A man charged with firing a gun on the Division Blue Line station platform last year has been given a two-year prison sentence. But, after receiving credit for the time he spent on electronic monitoring since being arrested, Brandon Taylor is not expected to serve much time behind bars.
Chicago police officers responded to the CTA station at 1200 North Milwaukee after 911 callers reported shots fired on the platform around 1:13 a.m. on February 19, 2024. When cops arrived, CTA workers and passengers directed them to the first car of a train, which was stopped at the station, according to a CPD report.
As officers walked toward the car, they saw Taylor “fall out of the first train car right on his face and stomach,” the report said. They allegedly recovered a handgun from his hoodie pocket and six shell casings from the area.
Prosecutors said CTA video showed Taylor firing a gun into the tunnel. CPD said the gunshots came after Taylor had a disagreement with the train operator. Taylor did not have a license to own firearms or carry a concealed weapon in Illinois, according to the police report.
Records show he has pleaded guilty to reckless discharge of a firearm and aggravated unlawful possession of a firearm.
When prosecutors filed charges against Taylor last February, Judge Susana Ortiz declined a state petition to keep Taylor in jail as a safety threat. Instead, she put him on an ankle monitor and sent him home, where he earned day-for-day credit that is applied toward his prison sentence.
According to Illinois Department of Corrections records, he is expected to be released on Valentine’s Day.
Judge Anjana Hansen oversaw the case and sentenced Taylor.
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