A 35-year-old man has been charged with homicide after prosecutors stated he murdered 18-year-old Kaleb Williams, wounded one other 18-year-old man, after which got here again to steal Williams’ backpack throughout a chaotic evening on Chicago’s West Aspect. The capturing got here two hours after a mass capturing claimed six victims at a large avenue gathering close by, which Williams and his pals had additionally attended.
Based on a detention petition filed by prosecutors, Williams, the second sufferer, and a number of other pals had attended a large social media–promoted avenue celebration within the early hours of August 10, close to the 100 block of North Lacrosse Avenue. Round 2:48 a.m., gunfire erupted at that gathering, leaving six folks shot, together with a 22-year-old girl who died. The celebration was simply a few blocks from the place Williams was later killed.
Roughly two hours later, simply after 5 a.m., Williams and his pals had been heading dwelling, strolling south on Lavergne Avenue throughout Maypole when Owens arrived in a white Toyota Camry registered to him, the petition stated. He allegedly bought out of the automotive, struck up a dialog with Williams’ group about injury that had been performed to his sunroof. Owens then pulled a handgun and ordered the group to drop their backpacks, in response to prosecutors.
The group scattered. Owens and an unidentified confederate opened fireplace, placing Williams twice within the decrease again. He collapsed. The second sufferer was struck within the higher arm as he fled down an alley.
Owens allegedly left the scene, then got here again about two minutes later. Surveillance video captured him approaching Williams and taking his distinctive backpack earlier than driving away, the detention petition stated.
Williams died at Stroger Hospital. The second sufferer was handled and launched.
Police recovered shell casings from two totally different weapons on the scene, tracked Owens’ automotive again to his dwelling on North Laramie, and captured him on video at a close-by gasoline station carrying the identical white shirt with a blue design, mild denims, white sneakers, and a big pendant chain described by surviving victims.
Throughout a search of Owens’ dwelling, officers recovered Williams’ backpack, Williams’ highschool ID, the clothes Owens wore through the capturing, and sneakers matching these seen in surveillance footage. As police ready to steer Owens away, his spouse gave him a pair of denims to put on as an alternative of shorts. Prosecutors stated the denims turned out to be the identical pants he wore through the capturing. Investigators allegedly discovered blood stains on them.
A search of Owens’ telephone allegedly revealed location information putting him on the homicide scene and web searches concerning the capturing and the 5000 block of West Maypole. Prosecutors stated he additionally downloaded an image of a backpack matching Williams’.
In a recorded jail name to his spouse, Owens allegedly revealed he “did a homicide” and claimed his sunroof had been shot out earlier within the evening, prompting him to retaliate. The detention petition stated there is no such thing as a proof linking Williams or his pals to any injury to Owens’ automotive, neither is there any indication that any of the victims had been armed.
Owens, who has prior theft convictions from 2019 and a drug case from 2012, is charged with first-degree homicide, tried first-degree homicide, and three counts of tried armed theft. Decide Ankur Srivastava granted the state’s detention petition.
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