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Man Free On Bond Pointed 2 Guns At Chicago Police Officers, Prosecutors Say

By Erica Demarest | September 1, 2017 6:37pm
 A judge called Christopher Younger, Jr., 29,
A judge called Christopher Younger, Jr., 29, "a danger to the community" before setting bail at $1 million.
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DNAinfo; Chicago Police Department

COOK COUNTY CRIMINAL COURTHOUSE — The man accused of injuring a young boy and then pointing two guns at Chicago Police officers this week was free on bond at the time for a pending drug case, prosecutors told a judge Friday.

"You are a danger to the community," Cook County Judge Laura Sullivan said Friday before setting bail for Christopher Younger, Jr., at $1 million.

Prosecutors have pegged Younger, 29, as the gunman responsible for shooting a 28-year-old man and wounding a 9-year-old boy in Garfield Park on Thursday in an incident that ultimately led to a police-involved shooting.

RELATED: Police Shoot At Gunman During Incident Where Man Shot, 9-Year-Old Hurt

According to authorities, Younger and the 28-year-old man got into an argument near Madison Street and Keeler Avenue about 5 p.m. Thursday. Both men pulled guns, prosecutors said, and the 28-year-old and several witnesses started running.

Younger squared off against the 28-year-old and opened fire — shooting the man in his buttocks, Assistant State's Attorney Lorraine Scaduto said during a bond hearing Friday at the Leighton Criminal Courthouse, 2650 S. California Ave.

In the melee, a stray bullet shattered a car window — sending shards of glass into a 9-year-old boy's face, Scaduto said. The boy had been sitting in a car with his mother and another person.

Police on patrol in the 4200 block of West Madison Street witnessed the shooting, according to prosecutors. Officers got out of their marked SUV and began to chase Younger north on Keeler, Scaduto said.

Younger soon doubled back and ran south — directly toward the officers — with a gun in each hand, prosecutors said. As Younger pointed the guns toward police, one of the officers opened fire, missing Younger.

Younger threw down his guns and tried to hide under a nearby Ford Explorer until police arrested him, according to Scaduto. The shooting victim, meanwhile, drove himself to a nearby hospital.

Police recovered a 9mm handgun and a .45 caliber handgun.

Younger, of the 1200 block of South Washtenaw Avenue, has been free on bond for a pending drug case since March 2016, when he posted $2,500, or 10 percent of his $25,000 bail. He has previous convictions for drugs.

Younger is now charged with aggravated assault to a peace officer, criminal damage to property, unlawful use of a weapon and aggravated discharge into an occupied vehicle.

Assistant Public Defender Patrick Keegan said Younger lives with relatives and has an 8-year-old daughter.