#33: Gunman in mass shooting was on $200 bond for pending firearms case, prosecutors say
August 12, 2021 CWBChicago Citywide
Devon Harding | CPD
A convicted felon who posted $200 to get out of jail for his third illegal firearm case was one of two gunmen in a mass shooting that injured five people in Gresham last month, prosecutors said Wednesday.
Devon Harding is now the 33rd person accused of killing, trying to kill, or shooting someone in Chicago this year while awaiting trial for another felony.
Last April, prosecutors charged Harding with felony unlawful use of a weapon by a felon, and he went home by posting the $200 deposit, court records show. According to CPD records, officers last April arrested Harding in connection with a different murder investigation, but he was never charged with the killing.
Shortly after noon on July 14, while still on bail for the pending gun case, Harding and another gunman pulled up to the 7900 block of South Justine, got out of their car, and opened fire on a group of people who were standing on the street, according to police and prosecutors.
Police who responded to a ShotSpotter alert and 911 calls found five victims at the scene:
A 40-year-old man who was critically wounded by a gunshot wound to his face. He reportedly spent 13 days in the hospital undergoing surgery and recovering.
A 27-year-old woman who suffered a graze wound to her hip.
A 33-year-old man who was seriously wounded by a gunshot to his back
A 36-year-old man who was shot in the ankle
A 49-year-old man who was shot in the right side and seriously wounded
Prosecutors only charged Harding with shooting the first two victims because the other three either could not be found or refused to cooperate with police, an assistant state's attorney said during Harding's bail hearing.
The woman who was grazed allegedly told police she recognized Harding as one of the shooters by his hairstyle, jewelry, and underwear. According to prosecutors, she said she knew him from the neighborhood and gave him his nickname to police, who used a law enforcement database to connect the nickname to Harding. Investigators included his picture in a photo line-up, and the woman identified him as one of the shooters, prosecutors said.
Harding is charged with two counts of felony aggravated battery by discharging a firearm.
"He's 21 years of age, Mr. Harding is, and his body of work is already quite extensive," Judge Charles Beach said while mulling possible bail conditions for Harding. "He has two prior gun cases. He has a third prior gun case that was from a juvenile in 2015. I'll also note two possession of stolen motor vehicles while he was a juvenile. Taking all of those things into consideration, I certainly do believe he is a danger to the community."
Beach then ordered Harding held without bail in the shooting and held without bail for violating the terms of bond in his pending gun case.
Editor's note: This report continues our coverage of individuals who have been charged with murder, attempted murder, or trying to kill a person while on bond for a pending felony case. CWBChicago began our series of reports in November 2019 after Cook County Chief Judge Timothy Evans publicly stated, "we haven't had any horrible incidents occur" under the court's bond reform initiative. You can support CWBChicago's work by becoming a subscriber today.
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#2: Man fatally shot girlfriend while on electronic monitoring for November gun case, prosecutors say (January 20, 2021)
#3: On bail for 3 separate felony cases, "fanged" man now charged with killing 12-year-old in DUI crash (January 23, 2021)
#4: Man on affordable bail for his 3rd felony gun case is charged with weekend murder (January 28, 2021)
#5: Man charged with murder while on bail for 3rd gun case and escape (February 5, 2021)
#6: Man, on bail for attempted murder and robbery, charged with killing woman while speeding away from police traffic stop (February 25, 2021)
#7: Teen accused of shooting driver during Wednesday carjacking is awaiting trial for 3 felonies, prosecutors say (February 25, 2021)
#8: "Highly active" gang member charged with killing rival over haircut — while on affordable bail (March 4, 2021)
#9: On bail for five burglaries, man set fire to home, killing girlfriend and 10-year-old girl, prosecutors say (March 12, 2021)
#10: Man, on bail for gun case, is charged with attempted murder for shooting at carjacking victims (March 17, 2021)
#11: Man who shot cop and passerby hoped to be killed by CPD, prosecutors say (March 20, 2021)
#12: Man charged with shooting co-worker while on affordable bail for Lincoln Park carjacking (April 2, 2021)
#13 and #14: Two more men charged with shooting people in Chicago while on bail for felony cases (April 4, 2021)
#15: Man murdered childhood friend while awaiting trial on federal gun charges, prosecutors say (April 13, 2021)
#16: Man chased down and killed victim while on electronic monitoring for gun case, prosecutors say (April 18, 2021)
#17: 16-year-old charged with murder, robbery in alleged pot dealer rip-off (April 19, 2021)
#18: Man charged murder of 7-year-old at McDonald's drive-thru has 2 pending felony cases, prosecutors say (April 25, 2021)
#19: Second man charged with killing 7-year-old at McDonald's was on 4 felony bonds, including robbery and gun cases (May 1, 2021)
#20: Gunman in Diversey River Bowl shoot-out was on bail for another gun case, prosecutors say (June 2, 2021)
#21: Man's accused of shooting up another car in traffic — while on bond for gun case (June 10, 2021)
#22: Man charged with attempted murder of CTA bus driver was AWOL in felony DUI case, prosecutors say (June 10, 2021)
#23 and #24: Two more men accused of shooting people while on bail for felonies (June 13, 2021)
#25: Man on bail for 2 felonies had pistol at hospital where his girlfriend was being treated for gunshot wound, prosecutors say (June 25, 2021)
Man charged with shooting tourist, killing passerby while AWOL on gun case, prosecutors say (June 26, 2021)
#26: Shooter in murder-suicide was on bail for two pending gun felonies, police say (July 6, 2021)
#27: Teen charged with killing 73-year-old carjacking victim was AWOL in felony stolen car case, prosecutors say (July 17, 2021)
#28: Man on felony bail killed another driver during highway robbery attempt, prosecutors say (July 17, 2021)
#29: On electronic monitoring for gun case, man escapes and shoots victim in the face, prosecutors say (July 23, 2021)
#30: Man, on bond for gun case, shot woman 10 times in her back, prosecutors say (July 23, 2021)
#31: Man shot 2 victims in separate robberies while on bail for felony gun case, prosecutors say (July 25, 2021)
#32: Teen with pending felony gun case shot man dead over shoulder bump, prosecutors say (July 28, 2021)
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