COOK COUNTY CRIMINAL COURTHOUSE — Prosecutors have charged a South Loop man with punching Marques Gaines outside a crowded River North 7-Eleven in February 2016.
The blow sent Gaines tumbling unconscious into the street, prosecutors said, where the bartender was fatally struck by a cab.
Though Gaines' death has been ruled a homicide by the Cook County Medical Examiner, prosecutors are charging alleged attacker Marcus Moore only with aggravated battery in a public place. Bail was set at $50,000; Moore is next expected to appear in court Wednesday.
It was not immediately clear Friday afternoon whether more charges were pending.
Moore, 32, of the 1400 block of South Canal Street, was arrested on a warrant last week in Minneapolis, Minn.
Surveillance tape released last year by Gaines' family shows a man punch Gaines outside the 7-Eleven at 418 N. State St. on Feb. 7, 2016 — knocking him unconscious into the street, where he was run over by a passing cab. He was 32 years old.
Gaines, who grew up in suburban Atlanta before moving to Chicago in 2009, had many friends and was well-liked, said those close to him. Friends and family had pressured police to make an arrest as the anniversary of Gaines' death neared.
"He just radiated love," said Ashley Strandburg, a close friend of Gaines.
"We are so pleased that action has been taken on this case and are extremely grateful that the Minneapolis Police Department was able to apprehend Marques' attacker," Strandburg wrote in an email last week. "While it won't bring Marques back to us, this does bring us one step closer to justice, closure, and peace."
Gaines' family, who live in suburban Atlanta, sued 7-Eleven, the taxi driver who allegedly hit Gaines and various other defendants last year. The lawsuit is pending.
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