Prosecutors say a man fired a shot that came millimeters from striking a victim who was showering in his apartment in Waukegan, calling it a “sheer miracle” the victim was not shot.
Yeomen Jackson, 26, of Waukegan, was charged with reckless discharge of a firearm and three counts of aggravated unlawful use of a weapon.
The Waukegan Police Department was dispatched just before 11:30 a.m. on June 30 to the 400 block of Liberty Street for a call of a person shot.
Lake County Assistant State’s Attorney Dino Katris said officers saw a Ford pickup truck driving away.
Residents at the shooting scene pointed toward the truck and officers conducted a traffic stop on it.
Jackson was identified as the driver and a loaded handgun was found inside the truck, Katris said.
Jackson does not have a concealed carry license or Firearm Owner’s Identification card.
Officers learned a shot was fired into the victim’s apartment as he was in the shower.
Katris said the projectile went through the bathroom wall under the shower head.
The bullet missed hitting the victim by just a few millimeters. The victim was struck by debris but was “thankfully somehow not physically injured,” Katris said.
A female passenger who was in the truck with Jackson told officers she was visiting Jackson at his apartment earlier.
Katris said the woman was in a bedroom with Jackson when Jackson went into another room and the woman heard a loud noise.
Jackson reportedly began acting weird and told the woman they should leave the apartment, Katris said.
Jackson told investigators he was in his kitchen when he heard the loud noise. He said the gun recovered belonged to his female friend.
Evidence technicians determined the bullet originated from Jackson’s kitchen and went through the kitchen wall and Jackson’s bathroom wall before entering the victim’s bathroom.
“It was by sheer miracle the bullet did not strike [the victim],” Katris said, adding that Jackson is not legally allowed to even possess the gun.
“That lack of judgment almost cost [the victim] his life for the crime of taking a shower,” Katris said.
Lake County Judge Ari Fisz granted a petition to detain Jackson pending trial after agreeing with prosecutors that he poses a danger to the community.
Fisz called Jackson’s story of the events “incredible” and not consistent with the evidence.
A preliminary hearing is scheduled in the case for July 24.