A week after his release from prison, Michael Mateus, 64, allegedly exited his West Side residence and randomly shot a passerby, according to prosecutors. The following day, Mateus is accused of stealing a $2,200 jacket in River North. He is now back in custody, facing two new felony charges.
After completing a sentence for residential burglary, Mateus was released on March 2. On March 9, at 6:25 a.m., he is accused of stepping out of his home and shooting a 24-year-old man who was walking to work on the 5500 block of West North Avenue. The two were strangers, and no exchange occurred before the shooting, officials stated.
Prosecutors claim Mateus fired six shots, hitting the victim twice in the leg. Although the shooting was captured on surveillance video, the footage did not clearly reveal the shooter’s face. However, Chicago Police Department (CPD) detectives used additional video to trace the suspect’s movements, allegedly showing Mateus leaving his home three minutes prior to the shooting and returning ten minutes later in the same attire as the shooter.
Mateus’s parole officer later identified him from the surveillance images, as noted in the CPD report.
The day after the shooting, before investigators had identified him as the suspect, Mateus was apprehended at the Nordstrom store at 55 East Grand Avenue for allegedly shoplifting a Ghost brand jacket worth $2,195.
He now faces charges of aggravated battery by discharging a firearm and aggravated battery causing great bodily harm concerning the shooting incident. Judge Anthony Calabrese has ordered his detention, describing the act as a “random violent act.”
Records indicate that Mateus’s parole has been revoked, and he has been returned to the custody of the Illinois Department of Corrections.
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