COOK COUNTY CRIMINAL COURTHOUSE — An Auburn Gresham man fired a gun into a crowded cocktail lounge early Wednesday after he was denied entry, prosecutors said.
Police arrested Rudy Williams, 34, when they spotted him running away from the bar carrying a .38 caliber revolver, Assistant State's Attorney Erin Antonietti said during a bond hearing Thursday.
The victim, a 29-year-old bouncer at Darrin's Cocktail Lounge, 1249 E. 87th St., was shot once in his wrist and treated at a nearby hospital, court records show.
It was at least the second time in a week a Chicago bouncer fell victim to gun violence. Angel Ortiz, Jr., 51, was fatally shot Saturday night while working at an Old Irving Park sports bar.
The Calumet Heights altercation started early Wednesday when Williams and a friend tried to enter Darrin's, but were turned away by the bouncer, who recognized Williams as a regular, prosecutors said.
It's not clear why Williams was denied entry.
Williams and his friend left, but Williams returned alone a short while later, according to Antonietti. He was once again turned away from Darrin's.
Williams left once more. When he returned a third time, prosecutors said, he was armed with a .38 caliber revolver. After a brief struggle at the door, Williams was allegedly able to push open the door and fire a shot into the bar — striking the bouncer.
Antonietti pointed out that Darrin's doesn't have a foyer or entryway. The door opens directly into the "general common area," she said. At the time of the shooting, there were roughly 50 people inside.
Police on patrol nearby heard the gunshot and drove toward Darrin's, prosecutors said. When officers spotted Williams running away from the bar, they chased him down the street until Williams tripped and fell, revealing his gun, Antonietti said.
According to prosecutors, the gun had four live rounds and one spent shell casing. A fired bullet was found inside the bar, where it had gone directly through the bouncer's wrist, Antonietti said.
Williams, of the 8700 block of South Aberdeen Street, has prior convictions for guns and drugs. He is charged with aggravated battery using a deadly weapon and unlawful use of a weapon by a felon.
Cook County Judge Maria Kuriakos Ciesil on Thursday ordered Williams held in lieu of $800,000 bail.
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