A woman who allegedly served as the driver during an expressway shooting and later shot her own boyfriend in Old Town has been sentenced to six years in prison. Alana Carroll, 23, resolved the cases by pleading guilty to aggravated battery by discharging a firearm and discharging a firearm toward an occupied vehicle, court records show.
Prosecutors said Carroll was driving her SUV with then-22-year-old Kierra Henderson as her passenger when Carroll struck a Chevy Malibu occupied by two other women on North Avenue near Sedgwick Street.
Both vehicles pulled over and all four women exited their cars. Officials said an argument ensued, but the women in the second car left the scene after one of them thought they saw Henderson clutching a gun in her waistband.
Prosecutors said Carroll pursued the women again, striking the Malibu two more times and chasing it onto the inbound Kennedy Expressway. As she pulled alongside the other car near the Eisenhower Expressway ramp, Henderson pulled out a gun and fired shots at the vehicle, a CPD report stated. There were no reported injuries, but the Malibu sustained bullet damage.
Prosecutors said Carroll and Henderson then returned to Old Town, where they crossed paths with Carroll’s boyfriend in the 1400 block of North Orleans.
Witnesses told police they saw the 35-year-old boyfriend arguing with two women in a white SUV — allegedly Carroll and Henderson — and then heard gunfire as the man collapsed with a gunshot wound to his leg and the SUV sped away.
Prosecutors claimed Carroll used Henderson’s gun to shoot her boyfriend, and surveillance video allegedly showed her returning the firearm to Henderson after the shooting.
Officers in the area quickly stopped Carroll’s SUV and arrested both women. Police said they found a gun inside Henderson’s purse, along with her firearm owner’s license. Prosecutors stated that although Henderson could legally own guns with the license, she lacked a permit to carry a concealed weapon.
Judge Aleksandra Gillespie sentenced Carroll to six years for the aggravated battery charge and a concurrent four years for the aggravated discharge count. Carroll must serve 85% of the battery sentence before being eligible for release in April 2029.
Henderson continues to fight the allegations against her.
