COOK COUNTY CRIMINAL COURTHOUSE — A Garfield Park man has been charged with murder after his gun fired during a Little Village home invasion — killing his accomplice, authorities said.
Ronald Williamson, 35, was carrying a Smith & Wesson handgun when he and Lawrence Pitts, 37, broke into an apartment in the 2200 block of South Avers Avenue just after 10 p.m. Wednesday, according to court records.
The resident, a 43-year-old man, told police he heard a loud crash that sounded like someone kicking in a door, and went to check it out, according to an arrest report.
He found Williamson and Pitts entering his back door, where they demanded to know where his stuff was, the arrest report said.
The resident grabbed Williamson's gun and began to struggle, police said. The gun went off, fatally striking Pitts, who would later die of multiple gunshot wounds.
It's not clear who was in control of the gun when Pitts was shot. But when police arrived on the scene, the resident was holding the gun and motioning toward Williamson, according to the arrest report. He allegedly told police, "I've got a gun, but it's his. They broke into my house."
Officers arrested Williamson and found Pitts badly wounded on the back porch, police said. He died in a hospital at 3:25 p.m. Friday.
Williamson, of the 200 block of North Hamlin Avenue, is charged with first-degree murder, home invasion and attempted armed robbery.
In Illinois, if someone is killed during the commission of a felony (e.g. a home invasion), anyone involved in the felony can be charged with murder — regardless of who pulled the trigger.
A Cook County judge on Sunday set Williamson's bail at $1 million.
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