Bond denied for two men charged in mass shooting outside Near North Side McDonald's; prosecutors say Jaylun Sanders fired 21 shots

No bond for accused gunman, alleged accomplice in mass shooting on Near North Side

CHICAGO (CBS) -- Bond was denied Sunday for the two men charged in a mass shooting that left two dead and seven wounded outside a McDonald's at Chicago Avenue and State Street.

Cook County Criminal Court Judge Susana Ortiz denied bond Sunday in Central Bond Court (Br. 1) for accused gunman Jaylun Sanders, 21, and alleged accomplice Kameron Abram, 20.

Sanders is charged with two counts of first-degree murder, seven counts of attempted first-degree murder, and one count of aggravated unlawful use of a weapon. 

At the time of the shooting, Sanders was wanted on a warrant issued for his arrest on Jan. 4 of this year for previous gun charges. 

Police said somebody handed him a gun -- a Glock fitted to shoot multiple bullets -- and he began firing into a crowd just after 10:40 p.m. Thursday outside of the McDonald's at 10 E. Chicago Ave. A McDonald's window was shattered during the shooting. The restaurant is now closed.

Sanders fled down the escalator into the nearby Red Line subway station after the shooting, where he was arrested by responding officers.

At the time of the shooting, Sanders was wanted on a warrant issued for his arrest on Jan. 4 of this year for previous gun charges. According to court records, he failed to appear in court for four counts of aggravated unlawful use of a weapon.  

Meantime, police said Abram also is charged with one count of aggravated unlawful use of a weapon for his role in the shooting. He also was cited for trespassing on the CTA.

In a proffer, a Cook County Assistant State's Attorney said the shooting followed a fight between two groups in the same area sometime earlier. One group included Sanders, the other some of the victims, prosecutors said. A Chicago Police sergeant heard a gunshot and came on scene to find the fight in progress, but everyone fled when the sergeant arrived, prosecutors said.

Police recovered a gun that was involved in that fight from under a mailbox at 7 E. Pearson St. about a block away from the McDonald's.

Sanders said in a video-recorded statement that this earlier incident was the reason he had a problem with some of the people he is accused of shooting, prosecutors said.

Multiple videos captured the conflict that led up to the shooting, prosecutors said. In one taken around 10:17 p.m. shows Sanders wearing distinctive black and yellow gym shoes and a sweat shirt with the word "Helmut," when another man in a pink hat is seen handing Sanders a gun, prosecutors said.

Around 10:41 p.m., video shows Sanders, Abram, and their group approaching the entrance to the Chicago Avenue Red Line station while the two victims who were killed – along with some other victims – are walking on the sidewalk behind them.

Sanders got to the stairs of the Red Line station, turned around, and started shooting into the crowd, prosecutors said.

In the shooting, Sanders aimed at different targets as he fired 21 shots, and then fled down the escalator, the prosecutors said.

Anthony Allen, 31, died at Stroger Hospital  about an hour after the shooting. He was shot in the lower back, officials said. 

Antonio Wade, 30, a soon-to-be father of two, died at Northwestern Hospital late Thursday after he was shot in the chest.

Anthony Allen, 31, and Antonio Wade, 30, were killed in a mass shooting that left seven other people wounded on the Near North Side on May 19, 2022. Legal Help Firm

One of the victims was critically wounded. The rest are in good condition. 

Meanwhile, as Sanders fled into the Red Line station, Chicago Transit Authority video shows him handing the gun to Abram, prosecutors said.

Video also shows Abram take off his gray sweat shirt and give it to Sanders, while Sanders takes off his sweat shirt with the word "Helmut" on it and tries to put on the gray sweat shirt, prosecutors said.

They both then fled onto the train tracks in an effort to get to the other side of the station, prosecutors said.

Prosecutors also said Sanders handed Abram the gun after the shooting, and they also changed sweat shirts before entering the train tracks. In the process, Sanders' girlfriend made contact with the third rail on the Red Line tracks and was critically injured, prosecutors said.

Sanders then took the elevator up to the mezzanine level of the Chicago Avenue station and found officers at the scene. He told officers the gunman had run in the opposite direction, but once he put his hooded sweat shirt back on, police knew he was involved, prosecutors said.

Sanders and Abram were arrested at the scene.

Sanders initially denied being the gunman while being questioned, prosecutors said. But when investigators pointed out that they had viewed video of the shooting, Sanders admitted that he had gotten the Glock handgun used in the shooting from Indiana and that an automatic switch was easily available for $20 to $25 on the street, prosecutors said.  

In denying bond for the defendants, Judge Ortiz said the shooting amounted to a "massacre."

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