15th person accused of Chicago murder or attempted murder while on felony release this year – CWB Chicago
A Chicago man was on felony pretrial release when he allegedly tried to kill a 29-year-old man in a shooting on the West Side this summer, officials say.
Emara Williams, 35, is the 15th person accused of killing or attempting to kill someone in Chicago this year while on felony pretrial release. Those individuals are accused of targeting 22 victims, five of whom — including a Chicago police officer and a Chicago firefighter — died.
A little after 7 p.m. on July 17, the victim received a call that his brother had been in a fight and went to the 400 block of North Central Avenue to see what was happening, according to court records. Williams was there along with 34-year-old Robert Ashford and other men the victim knew from the neighborhood, prosecutors claim.
The victim allegedly saw Williams hand Ashford a set of keys and tell him to “go get that,” which he understood to mean retrieving a gun. Ashford went to a nearby car, put an object in his pants and then rejoined Williams and two other men, according to the allegations.
At that point, the victim turned around to walk away and was shot from behind, suffering a fractured thighbone. Chicago police officers watching a live surveillance camera feed saw Ashford and three other men walk into view and begin firing several shots toward four men, one of whom is believed to have been the victim, according to prosecutors. However, the department failed to retain the footage.
The victim later identified both Williams and Ashford in photo lineups. Judge Luciano Panici Jr. detained Williams on a charge of attempted murder. Ashford was detained in a separate hearing by Judge Ankur Srivastava.
At the time of the shooting, Williams was on felony pretrial release for a manufacture-delivery of cocaine case. CPD records show he was arrested April 28 after allegedly conducting hand-to-hand transactions in the 600 block of North Central Avenue — two blocks north of the shooting. His previous felony convictions include gun cases in 2011 and 2022, narcotics cases in 2013, 2016 and 2019, and a stolen vehicle case last year.
The “not horrible” series
This report continues our coverage of individuals accused of killing, shooting, or trying to kill or shoot others on pretrial release for a felony allegation. CWBChicago began our series of reports in November 2019 after then-Cook County Chief Judge Timothy Evans publicly stated, “We haven’t had any horrible incidents occur” under the court’s bond reform initiative.
The actual number of murders and shootings committed by people awaiting trial for felony allegations is undoubtedly much higher than the numbers seen here. Since 2017, CPD has brought charges in less than 5% of non-fatal shootings and 33% of murders, according to the city’s data. You can see all of the “not horrible” stories here.
