A 22-year-old man has been arrested on attempted murder charges after prosecutors linked him to a shooting on March 30 near the Magnificent Mile. The incident injured two bystanders, including a woman who was hit in the thigh by a bullet, using surveillance footage, cellular data, and ballistics testing.
Jesus Abu Bakr was apprehended in Grundy County and later detained by Cook County Judge Deidre Dyer. He faces charges including two counts of attempted murder, aggravated battery by discharging a firearm, and aggravated battery causing significant bodily harm.
Prosecutors stated that Chicago Police Department surveillance cameras recorded Abu Bakr’s gray 2018 BMW near Chicago and Wabash avenues around 9:21 p.m. on March 30. A red Dodge Charger pulled alongside the BMW, paused briefly, then drove off with the BMW following. As they passed a tavern on Chicago Avenue, Abu Bakr allegedly fired multiple shots at the Charger from his driver’s side window. Another car also reportedly fired at the Charger, according to prosecutors.
A 25-year-old woman walking on the sidewalk was hit in the left thigh while trying to find cover and fell to the ground. The Charger was hit by bullets, causing the driver to lose control and crash into parked cars along Chicago Avenue. The impact pushed the parked cars into a man seeking cover, breaking both of his legs, prosecutors said. The Charger’s driver was not shot and fled on foot, while the gunmen’s vehicles also left the scene.
Investigators traced Abu Bakr’s BMW through its license plate, and his cellular data allegedly placed him at the shooting scene. On April 17, police heard gunfire in Logan Square and saw Abu Bakr’s BMW leaving the area. They followed it until it crashed, and three individuals fled the wreckage. A search of the car revealed a 9mm handgun and shell casings matching those from the March 30 shooting, according to prosecutors. Forensic tests later confirmed a casing from downtown was fired from the gun found in Abu Bakr’s car, they alleged.
A witness also identified Abu Bakr in a live lineup as one of the gunmen from the March 30 incident, prosecutors said.
Abu Bakr’s legal issues extend beyond the March 30 shooting. He faces a pending charge for aggravated assault and resisting police from an incident on March 12, where he allegedly pretended to throw something at officers during an arrest on the Gold Coast. He reportedly fled from officers, claiming, “All I did was pump fake,” according to a CPD report.
He missed a court appearance in that case on April 20, three days after the BMW crash in Logan Square. Records also show he had a failure-to-appear warrant in LaSalle County.
The intended target on March 30, according to prosecutors, had been charged with carjacking in 2021, receiving an 11-year sentence but serving less than four years. Last month, he was arrested for being a felon in possession of a weapon, leading to his parole being revoked. He is now scheduled for release in July 2028.
Original reporting you’ll see nowhere else, paid for by our readers. Click here to support our work.
