COOK COUNTY CRIMINAL COURTHOUSE — The brother of a 15-year-old boy who allegedly brought a gun to school Monday was suspended several days earlier for "threatening to shoot a teacher," prosecutors said.
Jevonte Brady was arrested Monday morning after attempting to bring an unloaded semi-automatic handgun into the school, police said.
The .25 caliber gun, which had no magazine or ammunition, was in the student's book bag when he entered the school, 3235 N. Leclaire Ave, about 8:30 a.m., according to an email sent by 16th District Commander James O'Donnell to several aldermen Monday afternoon.
During a Wednesday bond hearing, prosecutors alleged Brady's brother had threatened to kill a teacher at the school and that the teen brought the weapon in an effort to help him do it. Prosecutors did not name the brother — or say if he had faced charges.
Cook County Assistant State's Attorney Melissa Samp said Brady entered Foreman High School with his mother on Friday.
"[Brady'] brother was suspended from the school a week before for threatening to shoot a teacher." When school security directed Brady to walk through the metal detectors, he tried to hand his book bag to his mother.
"[Brady] and his mother argued about who would take the book bag," Samp said. When security officers took the bag and searched it, they found and unloaded .25 caliber Raven Arms Semi-automatic handgun inside.
The student, who has aparent criminal record, was charged as an adult with unlawful use of a weapon in a school zone, police said.
At no time were any students in jeopardy, Chicago Public Schools spokeswoman Robyn Ziegler said in a statement.
Richard Kloak, Brady's attorney, told the judge on Wednesday that the teen found the gun in the garbage a few days earlier forgot to take it out of his book bag.
"He didn't intend to shoot anybody," said Kloak, asking that Cook County Judge James Brown put Brady on electronic monitoring and release him.
But siting "all that's been happening in this country" surrounding the gun debate and school shootings, Brown refused and ordered Brady held on $150,000.
Brady's mother, who was in court Wednesday, declined to comment.
“CPS does not tolerate the presence of any weapon of any kind on school property for the safety and security of our schools, students, staff and visitors," Ziegler said.
Foreman Principal Dan Zimmerman did not return a phone message.
Cook County State's Attorney Anita Alvarez has pledged to prosecute gun crimes aggressively based on existing statutes while calling for stronger laws.
