A Chatham woman is accused of shooting her roommate in front of children during an argument over unwashed dishes, prosecutors said.
Jelavonni Gage, 26, was on pretrial release for a misdemeanor domestic battery case when she allegedly shot her 35-year-old roommate Wednesday morning inside their home in the 8100 block of South Maryland Avenue.
Prosecutors said the dispute began when Gage became upset that her roommate hadn’t washed the dishes. Gage slammed doors, hurled insults, and then brandished a gun while threatening to shoot, they alleged.
The victim’s cousin tried to intervene, but prosecutors say Gage fired a shot into the woman’s abdomen as one of her own children looked on. The victim was rushed to the University of Chicago Medical Center, where she underwent emergency surgery.
After the shooting, authorities said, Gage walked her two children to their nursery school bus. One of them told the driver about the shooting, prompting the driver to turn around and return them home. Police arrested Gage at the residence, but no firearm was recovered.
Judge James Costello ordered Gage detained on charges of attempted first-degree murder and aggravated battery with a deadly weapon.
Court records show Gage was arrested at the same address on March 20 on a misdemeanor domestic battery charge. Costello revoked her pretrial release in that case, too.
