A Chicago Man Sentenced to Seven Years for Shooting Incident on South Side Expressway
A Chicago man, Damarco Watkins-Romaine, has been sentenced to seven years in prison for his involvement in a shooting incident on a South Side expressway. Watkins-Romaine, 34, initially faced charges of attempted murder but later pleaded guilty to aggravated discharge of a firearm toward an occupied vehicle, as per court records.
The incident took place on November 23, 2022, around 10:18 p.m. when Watkins-Romaine opened fire on a vehicle traveling north on I-57 near 99th Street. Illinois State Police quickly identified the suspect’s white Lincoln MKX using license plate readers and Chicago police surveillance cameras. The vehicle was located the following day in the 7800 block of South Phillips Avenue, just yards away from where Watkins-Romaine resided.
After three months, Watkins-Romaine was arrested and subsequently released for DNA swabbing and fingerprinting. Subsequent investigation revealed phone data placing him at the scene of the shooting and in close proximity to the victim prior to the incident. Moreover, ballistics analysis confirmed that ammunition found in the Lincoln matched shell casings recovered from the expressway. Sales records indicated that Watkins-Romaine had purchased the same brand of ammunition and a handgun on November 6, 2022.
Following the evidence, Watkins-Romaine surrendered to Chicago police after his fingerprints and DNA were found inside the Lincoln. Judge Mary Brosnahan sentenced him to seven years in prison, with credit for 957 days served in the Cook County Jail.
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