A man faces up to 75 years in prison after he was convicted by a jury of fatally shooting a 14-year-old who was walking with a friend at a gas station in North Chicago.
Alraum C. Williams, 19, of Calumet City, and Amireon C. Williams, 20, of North Chicago, were both indicted by a grand jury on three counts of first-degree murder in June 2022.
The charges against the two stemmed from the fatal shooting of Lavon’ta Brown, 14, of North Chicago.
Lake County Assistant State’s Attorney Lindsay Hicks said during an initial court hearing that video surveillance captured a gold Chevrolet Malibu at a gas pump at the Citgo gas station, located at 10th Street and Jackson Street in North Chicago, around 5:15 p.m. on May 15, 2022.
Brown and a friend of his approached the gas station and the rear passenger side door of the Chevrolet opened.
Alraum Williams, who was seated in the rear passenger side, pointed a gun out of the car. The rear driver-side window was rolled down, at which time Amireon Williams pointed a gun out the window, Hicks said.
Both Amireon Williams and Alraum Williams fired shots toward Brown and his friend, Hicks said.
Brown pulled out a gun and shot back after being shot. Brown then tried running away but collapsed in the alley due to a gunshot wound to the chest.
The boy was transported to Vista Medical Center East in Waukegan where he was pronounced dead shortly after arriving, the coroner’s office said.
The Chevrolet drove off and crashed near the Home Depot on Belvidere Road in Waukegan.
Six individuals were observed fleeing the vehicle and three of them, including Amireon Williams, were detained inside the Home Depot, Hicks said.
Police found a black hoodie in the Home Depot bathroom that Amireon Williams was believed to be wearing.
Hicks said that Amireon Williams gave a false name to officers, who recovered a 9mm handgun under the rear driver seat of the Chevrolet where he was sitting.
Amireon Williams had multiple warrants in separate cases at the time of his arrest, including one case where he allegedly fired shots at two women.
Lake County Major Crime Task Force Spokeswoman Heather Cognac said at the time that investigators believe Brown was specifically targeted and the shooting was gang-related.
A jury trial began for Alraum Williams on Tuesday and came to a conclusion late Friday evening when a jury convicted him of first-degree murder.
The jury heard from more than a dozen witnesses, including law enforcement officers, medical personnel and expert witnesses during the four-day-long trial.
Officers were able to identify Alraum Williams using video surveillance, according to testimony at trial.
Other occupants of the car testified that Alraum Williams was in the car when the incident happened and confirmed he was sitting in the rear seat behind the passenger’s side of the vehicle.
Medical experts described the number of injuries Brown had and where they were located. Firearm experts testified about the type of weapon that was used to kill Brown.
The case was prosecuted by assistant state’s attorneys Lillian Lewis, Robert Money and Caitlin Valiulis.
State’s attorney’s office investigators and the Cyber Lab team assisted in the preparation for the trial.
“Gun violence took the life of a 14-year-old boy in our community, and this offender will be off the streets for a long time because of the work of our veteran trial team. Our victim specialists worked with the family from the beginning and will continue to support them,” Lake County State’s Attorney Eric Rinehart said after the verdict.
“But ‘guilty verdicts’ are never enough. This defendant had no prior criminal history which is why must also focus on preventing this violence by addressing root causes even as we hold offenders accountable. We can and must do both to have long term safety,” Rinehart said.
Alraum Williams faces up to 75 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections. A sentencing hearing is scheduled for April 5.
Lake County Judge Theodore Potkonjak revoked Alraum Williams’ ability to post bond following the verdict. He had been held in the Lake County Jail on a $3 million bond since his arrest in 2022.
The case against Amireon Williams remains active and a jury trial is tentatively scheduled for May 6.