A judge denied pre-trial release to a U.S. Marine veteran after prosecutors say he fired over a dozen shots at a group, fatally wounding a Waukegan man who was visiting family, in North Chicago.
The North Chicago Police Department and North Chicago Fire Department responded around 4:59 p.m. Wednesday to the 1600 block of Victoria Avenue for a report of a person shot.
Lake County Assistant State’s Attorney Jeffery Facklam said a ShotSpotter alert was received and multiple 911 callers also reported the shooting.
Officers arrived and found a gunshot victim just outside of a home in the yard on the corner of 17th Street and Victoria Avenue.
Paramedics transported him to Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville where he died in the emergency room, according to Lake County Major Crime Task Force Spokesperson Christopher Covelli.
Lake County Coroner Jennifer Banek identified the victim as Carl Marder-Grant, 31, of Waukegan.
An autopsy performed showed that Marder-Grant died as a result of a gunshot wound to the chest, Banek said.
The Lake County Major Crime Task Force was called to the scene to assist the North Chicago Police Department in the investigation.
Facklam said officers found numerous spent shell casings in the intersection of Lincoln Street and 17th Street. 16 casings were recovered in total.
Marder-Grant was visiting a family member and other people. The group was sitting outside the residence when the shooting occurred.
Officers recovered video surveillance, which showed a gray SUV driving down the street and parking at the curb, Facklam said.
A person was seen exiting the driver’s seat and running towards the intersection of 17th Street and Lincoln Street.
The suspect was just out of frame when 16 gunshots were heard on the video.
Facklam said the suspect, who was wearing a black mask and dark clothes, ran back to the SUV and the vehicle drove away.
The SUV had distinct chrome wheels and other chrome features.
License plate reader cameras showed a gray GMC Terrain with the same chrome features traveling south in Waukegan toward North Chicago just before the shooting.
Facklam said the GMC is registered to Carlos D. Marchan, 25, of North Chicago.
Officers later located the vehicle with the license plates removed in North Chicago.
Officers then conducted a traffic stop on a truck that was registered to the same address where the GMC was located.
Marchan was the driver of the truck. His driver’s license was suspended and he was taken into custody, Facklam said.
Clothing was recovered from the home of a family member of Marchan that matched the description from the video.
Facklam said Marchan had been living at that residence for a couple of weeks and the family member reported that Marchan got home between 5:30 p.m. and 6 p.m. on the day of the shooting.
“The defendant committed a brazen act of violence in broad daylight at 5:00 p.m. in a residential area,” Facklam said, adding that Marchan fired 16 shots in the direction of multiple people who were simply sitting on a porch.
Marchan is a convicted felon with a prior conviction for aggravated unlawful use of a weapon and is not allowed to possess firearms. He also has a prior conviction for domestic battery.
Law enforcement reported that Marchan has an association with a street gang.
“Defendant fired indiscriminately in the direction of all those present and it is not known if he was targeting Mr. Marder-Grant or someone else,” Facklam said.
Covelli said it is believed the shooting was gang-related based on the circumstances and evidence in the case.
The Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office reviewed the case and approved two counts of first-degree murder against Marchan.
The Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office filed a petition to detain Marchan in custody while awaiting trial.
Marchan appeared for a detention hearing on Monday afternoon and Lake County Judge Michael Nerheim granted the petition.
Attorney Jed Stone, who is representing Marchan, said his client is a U.S. Marine Corps veteran and he argued that there was no evidence that Marchan committed the offense.
“There are no witnesses who will identify this young man as being at the scene. […] There is no evidence presented as to the link, if any, between Marder-Grant and this defendant,” Stone said, adding that Marchan is not a member of a street gang.
The attorney also argued that there is no physical evidence tying Marchan to the crime scene.
No other suspects are being sought but additional charges could be filed against Marchan, Covelli said.
The incident marks the fifth homicide in Lake County in 2025 and the first homicide of the year in North Chicago.
In 2021, the Lake County Sheriff’s Office announced that Marder-Grant was among 10 suspects charged after the sheriff and federal authorities dismantled a street gang operation in the county.
Marder-Grant pleaded guilty to a gun charge in the case and was sentenced to 18 months in the Illinois Department of Corrections.
Marchan remains held in the Lake County Jail and is scheduled to appear in court again on May 23 for a preliminary hearing.