A man who was already on electronic monitoring for a pending gun case is now accused of firing 32 rounds at a car after being shot outside his home.
Talen McChriston, 23, was shot while standing on the porch of his house in the 5200 block of South Bishop around 5 p.m. on May 1. According to prosecutors, instead of calling police, McChriston grabbed a rifle and opened fire on the fleeing gunman’s gray sedan, sending dozens of rounds down the block.
Surveillance video captured the gunfire, and footage from the University of Chicago Medical Center later showed McChriston arriving for treatment wearing the same clothes he had on during the shooting, prosecutors said during a recent court hearing. He is now charged with reckless discharge of a firearm endangering others.
Judge Shauna Boliker ordered McChriston detained on the new charges and for violating the conditions of his release in his pending gun and stolen vehicle case.
At the time of the incident, he was wearing an ankle monitor for a case in which he is accused of illegally possessing three guns and a stolen car.
That case began on December 30, when a Chicago police helicopter team spotted a Mercedes-Benz that had been stolen from Romeoville the previous day, a CPD report said. When the helicopter lost sight of the vehicle under a viaduct, a CPD surveillance camera operator pulled up footage from a nearby surveillance camera that allegedly showed McChriston and others abandoning the Mercedes and switching into a stolen Volkswagen. Cops arrested them after they bailed out of the VW in the 9300 block of South Harper.
Prosecutors said McChriston had the Mercedes key fob in his pocket and dropped a backpack while running from police. Inside the bag, officers allegedly found a semi-automatic rifle “ghost gun,” a stolen 10mm handgun with an extended magazine, a .45-caliber handgun with an extended magazine, a car key programmer, and ten key fobs. Surveillance video reportedly confirmed McChriston’s possession of the bag.
Judge Mary Marubio initially detained McChriston on New Year’s Eve, but Judge John Lyke released him on electronic monitoring on February 5, court records show. Almost three months later, he was shot while standing on his porch.
McChriston is the 18th person accused of shooting or attempting to shoot someone in Chicago this year while on felony pretrial release.
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.
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. You can see all of the “not horrible” stories here.
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