Judge ‘horribly disturbed’ by charges that man opened fire on migrants
A judge said Friday he was “horribly disturbed” by accusations that a man opened fire at a group of migrants outside a South Side police station, wounding a man from Colombia and a Venezuelan woman holding her child.
Anthony Evans, 25, then led police on a high-speed chase that ended in a crash with serious injuries to an officer that may require amputation, according to prosecutors.
Judge Joseph Gump ordered Evans held in jail while awaiting trial on counts of aggravated battery with a firearm, aggravated driving under the influence and unlawful use of a weapon.
Prosecutors did not say what prompted Evans to open fire into a crowd of migrants last Saturday outside the Grand Crossing District police station at 7040 S. Cottage Grove Ave.
One of the wounded, Yerlianny Romero, 28, told a television station she was holding her young son in her arms when shots rang out. A 24-year-old man also was wounded.
Prosecutors said both victims had been living at or outside the police station, which has served as a temporary shelter for the hundreds of migrants brought to Chicago in the past year as they seek asylum in the United States.
Around 2 p.m. on the day of the shooting, Evans picked up three friends in his 2008 Jeep Grand Cherokee to get food before stopping at a liquor store on the way, prosecutors said. Witnesses in the car said Evans had been drinking earlier in the day and continued drinking from a tequila bottle as they drove around, prosecutors said.
About an hour and a half later, Evans allegedly drove past the front of the station where a crowd of migrants had been gathered by volunteers to discuss plans to potentially relocate them.
A witness inside the Jeep said she saw Evans open fire with a tan handgun and saw shell casings eject from the weapon as he fired at the group, prosecutors said.
Evans sped away, disregarding traffic signals as he tried to evade pursuing officers, prosecutors said. As a police vehicle headed toward him in the opposite lanes of traffic, Evans allegedly crossed the center line and collided with the squad car in the 5400 block of South State Street.
His three passengers were able to get out of the Jeep and were taken into custody but later released without charges. Evans had lost consciousness in the crash and had to be removed as the Jeep “began smoldering,” prosecutors said.
A tan Glock 9mm handgun was recovered from the floor of the Jeep in front of the driver’s seat. The gun was modified with a switch that allowed it to fire automatically, prosecutors said.
A second gun recovered by officers belonged to one of Evans’ passengers, who had a valid firearm owners identification card and a concealed carry permit. It was not used in the shooting, prosecutors said.
Evans’ hands allegedly tested positive for gunshot residue.
One of the officers in the squad car suffered broken bones and had lost six pints of blood by the time he was freed from the wreckage and brought to the hospital, prosecutors said. Prosecutors said it was unclear if injuries to his leg would require amputation. Other officers suffered concussions and fractured bones.
Evans worked full time as an HVAC technician and part-time for Amazon and supports three children, defense attorney David Geiger told the judge. Evans also suffered serious injuries in the crash and will likely require physical therapy, Geiger said in asking that his client be released on electronic monitoring.
Gump approved the prosecutor’s petition to detain Evans and set his next court date for Oct. 26.