A 35-year-old man has been charged with murder after prosecutors said he murdered 18-year-old Kaleb Williams, wounded another 18-year-old man, and then came back to steal Williams’ backpack during a chaotic night on Chicago’s West Side. The shooting came two hours after a mass shooting claimed six victims at a massive street gathering nearby, which Williams and his friends had also attended.
According to a detention petition filed by prosecutors, Williams, the second victim, and several friends had attended a massive social media–promoted street party in the early hours of August 10, near the 100 block of North Lacrosse Avenue. Around 2:48 a.m., gunfire erupted at that gathering, leaving six people shot, including a 22-year-old woman who died. The party was just a couple of blocks from where Williams was later killed.
Roughly two hours later, just after 5 a.m., Williams and his friends were heading home, walking south on Lavergne Avenue across Maypole when Owens arrived in a white Toyota Camry registered to him, the petition said. He allegedly got out of the car, struck up a conversation with Williams’ group about damage that had been done to his sunroof. Owens then pulled a handgun and ordered the group to drop their backpacks, according to prosecutors.
The group scattered. Owens and an unidentified accomplice opened fire, striking Williams twice in the lower back. He collapsed. The second victim was struck in the upper arm as he fled down an alley.
Owens allegedly left the scene, then came back about two minutes later. Surveillance video captured him approaching Williams and taking his distinctive backpack before driving away, the detention petition said.
Williams died at Stroger Hospital. The second victim was treated and released.
Police recovered shell casings from two different guns at the scene, tracked Owens’ car back to his home on North Laramie, and captured him on video at a nearby gas station wearing the same white shirt with a blue design, light jeans, white shoes, and a large pendant chain described by surviving victims.
During a search of Owens’ home, officers recovered Williams’ backpack, Williams’ high school ID, the clothing Owens wore during the shooting, and shoes matching those seen in surveillance footage. As police prepared to lead Owens away, his wife gave him a pair of jeans to wear instead of shorts. Prosecutors said the jeans turned out to be the same pants he wore during the shooting. Investigators allegedly found blood stains on them.
A search of Owens’ phone allegedly revealed location data placing him at the murder scene and internet searches about the shooting and the 5000 block of West Maypole. Prosecutors said he also downloaded a picture of a backpack matching Williams’.
In a recorded jail call to his wife, Owens allegedly revealed he “did a murder” and claimed his sunroof had been shot out earlier in the night, prompting him to retaliate. The detention petition said there is no evidence linking Williams or his friends to any damage to Owens’ car, nor is there any indication that any of the victims were armed.
Owens, who has prior robbery convictions from 2019 and a drug case from 2012, is charged with first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder, and three counts of attempted armed robbery. Judge Ankur Srivastava granted the state’s detention petition.
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