COOK COUNTY CRIMINAL COURTHOUSE — An Austin man was shot to death after someone touched his girlfriend's butt at a birthday party, prosecutors said Wednesday.
Alston McNeal, 33, and his girlfriend were at a party in the 1100 block of North Lawler Avenue on Oct. 10 when Antoine Thorne, 25, allegedly grabbed McNeal's girlfriend's butt, Assistant State's Attorney Pat Turnock said during a bond hearing Wednesday.
McNeal and Thorne began to argue, but McNeal eventually walked away, prosecutors said.
A short while later, Thorne's brother approached Thorne and asked what had happened, according to Turnock. After a brief conversation, Thorne allegedly walked over to McNeal and pulled a gun.
McNeal tried to disarm Thorne, prosecutors said, and several partygoers joined the struggle for the gun. The gun went off, Turnock said, but no one was shot.
As the group continued to struggle for the gun, Thorne's brother pulled out his own gun and shot McNeal once in the head, according to prosecutors.
Thorne and his brother ran away, Turnock said. Multiple witnesses identified the brothers as the men who pulled guns, and Thorne was arrested Monday. Police are still looking for his brother.
McNeal died on the scene.
Thorne, of the 1400 block of North Linder Avenue, is charged with first-degree murder.
Cook County Judge Laura Sullivan on Wednesday ordered him held in lieu of $750,000 bail.
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