CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) — There was a show of unity Thursday night between Mayor Lori Lightfoot and Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx as they announced charges in the case of a brazen West Side shootout that had them publicly at odds last fall.
"Often times, the speed in which we are able to bring justice feels painful," said Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx.
State’s Attorney Kim Foxx announced the weapons charges Thursday against 20-year-old Thomas Dean.
Dean was charged with aggravated unlawful use of a weapon after he was found with three guns used in the shooting, according to police. Foxx said at least one was a “machine gun.”
She added that Dean was using a machine gun, as people from two cars and a house exchanged gunfire in the 1200 block of North Mason in October. One person was killed. Dean and another person were wounded.
Police initially thought they had enough evidence to bring charges against five people. Foxx thought not, because of what she described as a lack of evidence.
The rejection sparked an ugly back and forth between Foxx and Lightfoot. The mayor warned that a lack of accountability could “send this city into chaos,” while Foxx claimed Lightfoot had her facts about the shooting wrong.
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On Thursday, though, the two leaders presented a unified front as they have regularly in recent weeks.
“Today’s charges are an example of how the system works through collaboration and the fact that we are all working together to keep our communities safe,” Foxx said. “And I’ve said before, and I will continue to say, the Cook County state’s attorney’s office will make charging decisions based on the facts, the evidence and the law — no matter how long it takes to get the result.”
Mayor Lightfoot added, "we may not agree on every issue or every time, but make no mistake, we are united in our shared mission to make all our neighborhoods safe."
The Mayor said the common enemies are guns, gangs, and poverty.
The investigation remains open and more charges are expected “in the coming days,” Foxx said, noting that a search warrant was approved for another suspect.
Lightfoot said the message being sent Thursday was “accountability,” despite the fact that many of the people involved in the brazen shootout have so far not been charged. Pressed about that, she insisted that officials “will work diligently to bring those accountable to justice.”
“We are not going to let Austin or any other neighborhood turn into the wild, wild west where people are not held accountable for what they do,” she said.
Caught on police surveillance video, the gang-related shooting played out like a scene from an action movie.
At least three people jumped out of two Dodge Chargers and started shooting into a home, according to a police report and a source with knowledge of the incident. Men who were inside the home fired back.
Dean was dropped off at a hospital. Neither Brown nor Foxx would comment on whether Dean is seen on the video being shot.
(WBBM Newsradio and the Sun-Times Media Wire contributed to this copy.)