18-Year-Old Charged with First-Degree Murder for Unprovoked Shooting at West Side Gas Station

An 18-year-old, Deandre Johnson, has been charged with first-degree murder for shooting an unarmed man without provocation at a West Side gas station on November 4. Judge Deidre Dyer ordered Johnson to be detained on Monday.

According to a proffer prepared by Assistant State’s Attorney Mike Pekara, Johnson’s mother asked a relative to drive him to the GoLo service station located at 3731 West Roosevelt around 10:50 a.m.

Upon arriving at the gas station, Johnson went inside and arranged for another customer to buy him cigarillos before heading back to the car where the relative was parked at a pump, as stated by Pekara.

As Johnson exited the store, he encountered Rayjay James, a 20-year-old, and allegedly made aggressive remarks towards him. Despite both men continuing to walk, Johnson suddenly pulled out a gun from his waist, assumed a shooting position, and opened fire on James as he was entering the gas station, causing James to sustain three gunshot wounds and collapse inside the minimart.

Following the shooting, Johnson swiftly ran back to his relative’s car, entered the passenger seat, and instructed her to drive him home.

A Chicago police officer who was stationed across from the gas station witnessed the shooting incident. The relative’s car, with Johnson inside, passed directly in front of the officer’s squad car en route to Johnson’s residence, Pekara revealed.

Upon reaching Johnson’s home, located just three blocks away from the gas station, Johnson ran into his apartment building. Despite this, police did not make an immediate arrest.

However, law enforcement officers discovered a loaded handgun with a 31-round extended magazine hidden under the passenger seat of the relative’s car. The ammunition in the gun bore the same headstamp as three shell casings found at the murder scene, indicating a clear connection to Johnson, as detailed by Pekara.

Surveillance footage from multiple angles at the gas station captured the entire sequence of events, clearly showing Johnson’s face. Johnson was positively identified from the surveillance images by his mother, the relative who drove him to the gas station, and someone from his school, Pekara added.

Notably, Johnson is currently on juvenile probation for aggravated unlawful use of a weapon and has previously been adjudicated delinquent for burglary and resisting a peace officer earlier this year, Pekara disclosed.