Evanston police on Aug. 14 said a Chicago man is the latest person charged after four people were shot in three incidents over two days in the north suburb last week, prompting police to issue a community alert.
Christopher Davis, of the 8700 block of South Jeffery Boulevard, Chicago, was charged Monday, Aug. 12 with unlawful use of a weapon by a felon, police said.
They said that on Aug. 5, at approximately 8:30 p.m., Evanston police responded to a 911 call of two people shot in the 1700 block of Dempster Street in Evanston. When officers arrived they located two men, aged 41 and 50, both residents of Evanston, who had been shot. Both men were taken to area hospitals in stable condition.
On Aug. 5, shortly after that shooting, Davis was stopped by officers while driving a Volvo at Darrow Avenue and Dempster Street as he was “leaving the area of the shooting,” said police. They said officers saw a Smith M&P 9mm handgun on the rear driver’s side floorboard of the Volvo and that Davis was detained but released pending further investigation.
Detectives obtained a search warrant for the Volvo and the handgun was recovered, police said. They said their investigation revealed that immediately after the shots were fired on Aug. 5, Davis was witnessed holding a black handgun, consistent with the one recovered from the Volvo. According to police, the investigation indicates that although “Davis did not fire the handgun he was in possession of it in an apparent attempt to take it from the scene.”
Davis was arrested Aug. 12 at the Evanston Police Department, police said, indicating he did not have a Firearm Owner’s Identification (FOID) Card or a Concealed Carry License (CCL). The Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office reviewed the investigation and approved a felony charge of aggravated unlawful use of a weapon by a felon.
“This (Davis) is another individual that was there,” said commander Ryan Glew, referring to the Aug. 5 shooting. “He was not shot nor did he pull the trigger, but it appears he opted to take one of the guns from the scene.”
Last week police said that Sean Gayle, 41, of the 1700 block of Dempster Street, Evanston, was charged with aggravated unlawful possession of a weapon by a felon in connection with the Aug. 5 shooting. They said Gayle and a second man who had been shot targeted each other as part of an “ongoing dispute.” They did not say if the second man is facing charges in that incident.
And on Aug. 6 at 3:30 p.m., officers responded to the 1700 block of Dodge Avenue for a report of a male who had been shot, said police. An investigation into that shooting indicates that the individual “accidentally shot himself” in the hand and went to a residence on Dodge Avenue “seeking aid,” said police.
In a third incident, police said that Jerell Williams, 33, of the 1800 block of Lake Street, Evanston, is charged with attempted first degree murder in another Aug. 6 shooting of a 34-year-old man in the area of Dempster Street and Darrow Avenue in Evanston. The 34-year-old victim was taken to a hospital in stable condition, according to previous reporting.
The Aug. 5 and 6 shootings prompted Evanston police to issue a community alert on Aug. 7 in which they said they did not believe there was an ongoing threat to the community but also said the events were “extremely concerning” and advised residents to be “vigilant.”
“When you have three shootings within hours of each other…in a very close proximity geographically, at that point in time as much information as we can get out and inform the public, the safer the public is going to be,” Glew explained. “They’re going to have a better understanding. We’re putting out information so people don’t jump to conclusions that are inaccurate.”
