More than 30 individuals in Chicago accused of crimes ranging from murder, attempted murder, or violent firearm-related crimes were free on bail when they were initially charged last year.
That figure is due to the new bail reform policy in Cook County ushered in by State Attorney Kim Foxx, a left-wing firebrand whose campaigns have earned the backing of billionaire donor George Soros. Under her tenure, incarcerations in the district have dropped nearly 20% all while murders have increased to rates not seen in decades.
Some of the suspects arrested include Antonio Reyes, who was arrested in December and is accused of shooting and killing a man in June. He was also charged with attempted murder and aggravated battery for allegedly shooting another man in the head in November. That victim survived.
At the time of his arrest, Reyes, 17, was facing trial for four other firearms-related charges, including armed robbery, unlawful use of a weapon, aggravated assault with a weapon, and possession of narcotics. He is being charged as an adult for his alleged crimes.
Reyes’s attorney has denied all the state’s allegations. A judge ordered him held on a $500,000 bond.
One of the most brazen killings in the city last year could have been arguably avoided altogether. On Dec. 3, retired Chicago Fire Department Lt. Dwain Williams was the victim of a fatal carjacking after a group of men opened fire on him in his car after exiting a popcorn store. Williams was shot in the stomach and died shortly thereafter in the hospital.
Four men were arrested in connection to the incident, including Devin Barron, who had a string of convictions from when he was under 18. At the time, Barron was also free on bond from a kidnapping and home invasion charge just two months prior, when he allegedly dragged a woman into his car and beat her.
At the time of his arrest, authorities say Barron was in possession of three firearms. He is currently being held without bail.
Some 30 other individuals arrested in 2020 for violent firearms-related offenses had been facing trial for other crimes, according to CWB Chicago.
Foxx announced her bail reform policies early on in her first term, arguing that previous efforts to detain alleged criminals “undermines the public’s confidence in the fairness of the system.”
“For too long, prosecutors have abdicated our responsibility by not participating in this process,” Foxx said in 2017. “With this policy change, we recognize the role our office can play in decreasing the overreliance on pre-trial detention.”
By the end of November last year, 3,800 people were shot in Chicago, constituting a nearly 60% increase from 2019. Murders were up over 50% from the previous year at 768. Of those shot in 2020, 350 were juveniles.
At the same time, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot has proposed cutting the city’s police budget by just under $60 million, drawing attacks from conservatives and the local police union. The mayor’s plan would cut around 600 vacant officer positions from the department and redirect funding toward mental health services.
“Literally, just two days ago, we had a kid who just turned 13 go into a store to get batteries for a Christmas toy in one of the most peaceful parts of the city get gunned down,” Chicago Fraternal Order of Police President John Catanzara told Fox News in a Dec. 29 interview when asked about efforts to defund the police. “Ridiculous.”
