People v. Easley
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Chicago Officers testified that: Officer Watson was working undercover narcotics surveillance, seated in a covert vehicle, and saw defendant exit a Nissan and walk in front of his car. Watson observed defendant pull a weapon from his coat pocket, start to shoot, running toward a pedestrian. The individual turned and ran, grabbing his side. Defendant fired six shots, then returned to the Nissan. Watson radioed his team with a description of defendant and the vehicle and followed the vehicle. Officer Humpich also followed the Nissan for five blocks. The Nissan stopped. Jackson exited and began to run. Officer Utreras also pursued the vehicle and saw defendant exit the Nissan and start to run. Utreras exited his vehicle and identified himself. Defendant stopped running and said, “I didn’t shoot nobody. I just picked up the gun.” Utreras had not asked about the shooting. Utreras recovered a handgun from defendant’s coat pocket and six spent shell casings. Defendant had a prior conviction for unlawful use of a weapon by a felon. Defendant testified that he was a passenger in the Nissan, driven by Williams, and that Williams fired the shots. Defendant stated that he did not have a gun, that he never touched the gun, and that “[he] did not have nothing to say to the police.” Defendant was convicted of unlawful use of a weapon by a felon and sentenced to nine years in prison. The appellate court agreed with defendant’s argument, raised for the first time, that the state charged him with the offense of unlawful use of a weapon as a felon without providing notice that it intended to charge him with an “enhanced” Class 2 offense, so that his sentence violated section 111-3(c) of the Code of Criminal Procedure. The Illinois Supreme Court reversed that holding, but affirmed the appellate court’s holding that defendant’s sentence did not constitute improper double enhancement.
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