A Zion man pleaded not guilty Wednesday to attempted murder in connection with a shootout in McHenry where over 50 shots were fired last summer.
Deontae Wade, 26, of the 2600 block of Horeb Avenue in Zion, was charged with two counts of attempted first-degree murder, two counts of aggravated discharge of a firearm, unlawful possession of a weapon by a felon, two counts of unlawful use of a weapon and two counts of aggravated unlawful use of a weapon.
Wade pleaded not guilty to all charges during an arraignment hearing Wednesday, court records show.
A second defendant, Dante L. Terrell, Jr., 29, of the 2300 block of Joppa Avenue in Zion, was also charged with attempted murder, aggravated discharge of a firearm, unlawful use of a weapon and aggravated unlawful use of a weapon.
Terrell previously also pleaded not guilty to his charges.
Police said the shooting happened around 1:25 p.m. on August 29 near the intersection of Route 31 and Bull Valley Road in McHenry.
Prosecutors said Terrell was in the area on his way to a football game when another vehicle approached the intersection, the Northwest Herald reported.
Terrell, Wade and other people began shooting at each other, prosecutors said, adding that the subjects involved had interacted with each other earlier at a gas station.
A criminal complaint filed in McHenry County Circuit Court said that Terrell fired an FN 509 9mm pistol during the incident.
He was not legally in possession of the gun as he did not have a FOID card, the complaint said.
A second criminal complaint said that Wade discharged a handgun at other vehicles during the incident. Wade is a convicted felon and not allowed to possess a firearm, the complaint said.
According to an alert sent out to area law enforcement officers in McHenry County at the time, one of the gunmen in a red Jeep Compass used an AR-15 style rifle to shoot at a silver Nissan Maxima.
A nearby vehicle, sitting in traffic at the intersection, was also struck by the gunfire, McHenry Police Department Public Affairs Officer Michael Spohn said.
Spohn said no injuries were reported in the shooting, which he called “an isolated incident.”
Several witnesses at the scene reported seeing dozens of spent casings on the ground just west of the intersection.
At least 50 evidence markers were placed over the casings as police investigated the scene. Spohn confirmed that over 50 shell casings were recovered.
Investigators took Terrell into custody within a couple of hours of the shooting. A warrant was issued for Wade two days after the shooting and a grand jury indicted him in September.
Wade was on electronic monitoring at the time for an unrelated case and was due to be discharged from his sentence.
Wade returned to the Lake County Sheriff’s Community Based Correctional Center in Waukegan on September 8, 2021, to have his electronic monitoring device removed, according to Lake County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Chief Christopher Covelli.
Just before Wade arrived, correctional officers learned the man was wanted on the McHenry County arrest warrant for the McHenry shooting.
When Wade arrived back at the CBCC, correctional officers attempted to take him into custody on the warrant, Covelli said.
“Wade was able to defeat their attempt to handcuff him, and he fled out of the building. A correctional officer gave chase, however, Wade was able to flee,” Covelli said.
Numerous sheriff’s deputies, sheriff’s detectives, members of the sheriff’s special investigations group, and members of the sheriff’s tactical response team attempted to locate and apprehend Wade without success.
On March 11, officers with the Lakemoor Police Department conducted a traffic stop around 11:30 p.m. on a red 2012 Chevrolet near Route 120 and Darrell Road.
The driver of the vehicle, later identified as Wade, initially provided the officer with false information about his identity.
Wade attempted to flee on foot but was taken into custody a short time later.
Wade remains held in the McHenry County Jail on a $750,000 bond while Terrell remains held in the McHenry County Jail on a $500,000 bond.