A gunman who nearly killed a convenience store clerk in downtown Chicago last month was identified using facial recognition technology linked to the Illinois Secretary of State database, prosecutors announced on Thursday. This case adds to a growing list solved with this technology, even as state legislators consider banning its use by law enforcement in Illinois.
The victim, a 31-year-old employee at 7-Eleven on West Adams Street, had been working there for six years when the incident occurred. On March 12, 30-year-old Jaquell Hayes entered the store and began stealing over-the-counter medication, according to prosecutors. The clerk confronted Hayes, who allegedly threatened him before leaving the premises.
Prosecutors noted that Hayes returned the following day, threatening the clerk again while reaching for his waistband. Surveillance footage shows the clerk telling Hayes to leave. When Hayes refused, the clerk, for the first time, used bear spray in self-defense, prompting Hayes to exit the store.
After moving from behind the register to lock the revolving glass doors, the clerk spotted Hayes standing outside, drawing a handgun and firing multiple shots through the glass, prosecutors stated.
Witnesses, including the victim and 911 callers, reported hearing between three to seven gunshots. The clerk suffered gunshot wounds to his abdomen, arm, and five times in his upper back. Fearing for his life, he called 911, notified his employer, and bade farewell to his girlfriend, as described in a detention filing by prosecutors. He survived but sustained life-altering injuries.
Investigators retrieved surveillance footage showing an unidentified man running eastbound on Adams Street toward LaSalle Street post-shooting. The search within the Secretary of State’s database identified Hayes as a potential match, prosecutors said.
Though three .45 caliber shell casings were found at the scene, the firearm used was not recovered. Hayes reportedly holds a valid Firearm Owner’s ID card and has two registered firearms, including a .45 caliber Glock, according to prosecutors.
Less than a week after the incident, both the victim and a witness identified Hayes in separate photo lineups, with the latter identification occurring on March 24, 2026, prosecutors noted.
Judge Antara Rivera approved the state’s request to detain Hayes, who now faces charges of attempted first-degree murder.
This case highlights the ongoing debate over facial recognition technology in law enforcement, with North Side lawmaker Rep. Kelly Cassidy pushing for a ban. Her bill seeks to prevent local and state law enforcement in Illinois from accessing facial recognition databases and contracting third parties to circumvent this prohibition.
The bill did not progress beyond the Illinois House Judiciary – Civil Committee before adjournment last month and was sent back to the Rules Committee. Despite this, it gained three new co-sponsors from Chicago: Rep. Kevin Olickal, Rep. Lilian Jiménez, and Rep. Diane Blair-Sherlock, indicating continued efforts to advance the legislation.
Previously, CWB Chicago reported on numerous violent crimes, many involving the CTA, where detectives used surveillance images and facial recognition databases, often maintained by the Illinois Secretary of State, to develop critical leads.
These cases encompass murders, rapes, robberies, and kidnappings. Shortly after the report, facial recognition helped identify Jose Miranda, accused of murdering Loyola University freshman Sheridan Gorman near Loyola Beach, a crime within Cassidy’s district.
This week, Cook County State’s Attorney Eileen O’Neill Burke highlighted facial recognition as a vital tool for combating crime on the CTA.
Cassidy dismissed CWB Chicago’s detailed case-specific reporting of violent crimes solved with facial recognition as “anecdotes,” questioning the lack of discussion on misidentifications by the technology, leading to wrongful detentions.
Both supporters and critics of the bill agree on one point: no one in Illinois has been criminally charged based solely on a facial recognition match without corroborating evidence.
Detectives use matches as a starting point to gather leads, not as a basis for charges, according to Tom Weitzel, a retired police chief from suburban Riverside. He termed the technology “one of the most important investigative tools to come along in policing in 50 years” and argued that Cassidy’s bill “doesn’t regulate facial recognition — it destroys it.”
The ACLU of Illinois supports the ban, acknowledging it would end law enforcement’s use of the technology. Some observers advocate for a balanced approach, suggesting codification of best practices, prohibition of arrests based solely on facial recognition matches, mandatory officer training and certification, and purging biometric data of cleared suspects within 72 hours.
An ACLU representative also stated the organization found no instances of criminal charges in Illinois based solely on facial recognition without corroborating evidence, though noted that a lack of public transparency on the tools’ usage makes the full picture unclear.
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