[CWBChicago] Shades of Pulp FictionA West Side man who tried to shoot someone in another car by firing out his rear passenger window while driving managed to shoot and kill his own backseat passenger instead, prosecutors said this week.
Quincy Cole, 27, is charged with first-degree murder in the slaying of his passenger, 19-year-old Roderick James, on December 6, 2020.
Cole was on bail for a pending felony arson case at the time of the killing. CPD records show that police wanted to charge him with murder in the pending case, but prosecutors only approved arson charges.
The alleged murder of James makes Cole the 45th person to be charged with killing, trying to kill, or shooting someone in Chicago during 2020 while on felony bail.
Prosecutors said Cole was driving a car with four additional passengers when another driver pulled up on their right side at a red light near Bloomington and Laramie.
The other driver, a 68-year-old man, told police that he saw the passenger window of Cole’s car roll down to reveal a man pointing a gun at his head, Assistant State’s Attorney James Murphy said. He ducked and heard "multiple" bullets strike his car before Cole sped away, according to Murphy.
About 14 minutes later, one of Cole’s passengers called 911 to report shots fired near Belmont and Leclaire in Belmont Cragin. Witnesses, including an off-duty firefighter, saw four men running from Cole’s car at that location. Police found James dead in the back seat with four gunshot wounds to his chest.
Witnesses provided police with descriptions of the men who ran from the car, and officers arrested Cole along with two of the others nearby. Murphy did not identify the other two people or say if they were charged with any crimes.