A man on pretrial release for a felony gun charge shot a teenager during a robbery attempt on the Blue Line, prosecutors say. Malik Washington, 23, was recently identified through DNA testing of a glove police recovered during the investigation.
The shooting occurred around 6:54 a.m. on December 13, 2023, at the Western Blue Line stop on the Near West Side.
Prosecutors said Washington approached a 17-year-old boy on the train, displayed a gun, and warned, “Don’t move. This is a robbery.”
When the boy refused to cooperate, Washington fired multiple rounds as the victim ran for his life. Bullets struck the teen in the left arm and left armpit.
Judge James Murphy III detained Washington on charges of attempted murder and attempted armed robbery. Murphy noted that Washington is accused of running past the fallen boy’s body to make his escape.
Washington was on pretrial release for allegedly possessing a pistol during a traffic stop on April 16, 2023. He is also accused of robbing a 19-year-old victim in the 7700 block of South Racine in April 2024.
He is the 41st person accused of shooting, killing, or trying to shoot or kill someone in Chicago during 2023 while on felony pretrial release. Those crimes involved 51 victims, 14 of whom died.
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.
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