A 36-year-old man is behind bars after prosecutors said he randomly shot another man on the Far South Side this spring, only to be caught when the victim recently spotted him posting flyers for a missing dog.
Sergio Martinez is charged with aggravated battery by discharging a firearm in connection with the April 21 attack in the 10800 block of South Burley Avenue.
In a detention petition, prosecutors said the 36-year-old victim was driving home from work, but he realized he would not get there in time to play in the tournament. So, he parked, stayed inside his vehicle, and participated on his phone.
About 6:30 p.m., Martinez allegedly walked past with an unleashed German Shepherd. The victim initially thought nothing of it, assuming Martinez lived nearby because he was wearing Crocs and had a dog off its leash, the detention filing said. But moments later, he saw Martinez photographing his license plate and then the driver’s side of his SUV.
The man got out to confront Martinez.
That’s when Martinez allegedly reached into his hoodie, produced a handgun, pointed it at the man’s chest, racked the slide, then aimed it at the man’s chest again before lowering it and shooting him in the upper left thigh. The victim managed to climb back into his SUV, drive off, and call 911.
Police learned from neighbors that Martinez lived nearby and owned a German Shepherd, according to a court filing. Detectives also reviewed archived body-camera footage of Martinez recorded in 2022 and 2023. They determined he matched the description of the gunman provided by the victim.
A week later, the victim failed to identify Martinez in a photo lineup, telling detectives he didn’t want to risk picking the wrong person. But, of the six photos investigators showed him, he said that #6 — Martinez — was the only one who resembled the shooter, according to the detention filing.
The case broke open a couple of weeks ago when the victim was working on a job in the neighborhood where he had been shot. He spotted Martinez posting flyers for a missing German Shepherd and immediately called 911.
Officers detained Martinez and he was initially cooperative with police. He even gave detectives the password to his phone, according to the detention filing. His cooperation ended and he demanded an attorney after the detectives found a picture on his phone of the victim’s license plate time-stamped at 6:30 p.m. on April 21, the filing said.
Judge Shauna Boliker granted the detention petition, calling the episode “a random act of senseless violence.”
Original reporting you’ll see nowhere else, paid for by our readers. Click here to support our work.
