Park Forest, IL-(ENEWSPF)- According to a witness to the incident, it was after a night of drinking that a Chicago Heights man allegedly drew a weapon over another man’s refusal to turn on a light. This alleged incident led to two felony weapons charges, police said.
Felony Weapons Charges Over a Light?
Police were dispatched on January 11 at 7:22 AM to a residence on Springfield Street regarding a possible domestic incident involving shots fired. Police spoke with a man who reported that his friend allegedly fired a handgun inside the home to which police responded and that his friend had fled on foot, according to police.
SouthCom Dispatch sent units to seek the alleged offender, according to police. Police found a man near Route 30 and Orchard Drive who matched the provided description, according to police. The man was walking on the sidewalk. Police recovered a semi-automatic handgun from the man’s backpack, according to police.
Back at the home on Springfield Street, a witness told police that his friend “Adrian,” allegedly fired a round from a handgun inside the residence, according to police. The man said that he and Adrian and a woman had been drinking alcoholic beverages overnight, according to police. The man said that no one was injured but he requested to be checked out by a paramedic, according to police.
Police were admitted to the residence and saw a number of empty and partially consumed bottles of alcoholic beverages and plastic cups on the floor, according to the report. They saw several condom wrappers and use condoms on the floor throughout, according to police.
The man told police that Mr. Johnson and the woman were engaged in sexual intercourse while the man was playing video games, according to police. Mr. Johnson asked the man to turn the basement lights on, according to police. They were off at the time. The man refused to turn the lights on for Mr. Johnson and Mr. Johnson, who the man said was highly intoxicated, became “agitated,” according to police. The two men engaged in a verbal dispute.
Mr. Johnson then walked to his backpack, located in the basement area, and allegedly took a handgun out of the backpack, according to police. The man said he was still sitting on the basement sofa when Mr. Johnson walked next to the sofa with the handgun in hand, according to police. Mr. Johnson allegedly removed the magazine from the handgun and racked the slide, after which he reloaded the handgun, according to police.
While handling the handgun, Mr. Johnson told the man, “This is for our protection,” according to the report. The man said that while Mr. Johnson was handling the handgun, it suddenly fired, striking the sofa where the man was sitting, according to police.
The man said he confronted Mr. Johnson and asked why he had just fired a gun in his home, according to police. Mr. Johnson did not give an explanation, according to police. Mr. Johnson then left the basement and the home, according to police.
The man said he walked upstairs and notified his grandmother about what happened and then notified the Park Forest Police Department, according to the report. Later, at the Park Forest Police Department, Mr. Johnson allegedly admitted to possessing and shooting the firearm in the residence, according to police.
Adrian X. Johnson, 29, 231 E. 26th St., Chicago Heights, was arrested on January 11 and charged with felony reckless discharge of a firearm and felony aggravated unlawful use of a weapon. Additionally, Mr. Johnson was charged with possession of a firearm and possession of ammunition without a requisite Firearm Owner Identification card (FOID).
Domestic Battery
Joe K. Owusu, 50, 313 Oswego St., Park Forest, was arrested on January 13 and charged with one count of domestic battery after police responded to a home on Oswego Street to investigate a report of domestic battery.
Police spoke with a woman who said that she and Mr. Owusu were engaged in a verbal altercation when Mr. Owusu became “very agitated because she continued to voice her opinion,” according to police. Mr. Owusu then allegedly tossed the living room table to the side and” aggressively approached” the woman, according to the report. Mr. Owusu then allegedly slapped the woman in the face with his open hand, according to police.
Police observed redness and swelling on the left side of the woman’s face and advised Mr. Owusu that he was under arrest, according to police.
Domestic Battery
Faheem R. Jackson, 30, 346 Oswego St., Park Forest, was arrested on January 15 and charged with domestic battery after police responded to Oswego Street to investigate a report of domestic battery.
A woman said she was inside her bathroom at 7 AM when her boyfriend, Faheem R. Jackson, allegedly kicked the bathroom door open and struck her with his closed fist on the left side of her head several times, allegedly struck her on her arms, and then allegedly grabbed her neck and choked her, according to police.
The woman said that the alleged choking did not cause any loss of breath and that she was able to talk, according to police.
After this alleged incident, the woman said Mr. Jackson grabbed her cell phone from the floor and left the home, according to police. The woman said she locked all of the doors including the screen door so that he could not get back inside the house. She said that Mr. Jackson did not have a key for the screen doors.
The woman said that the argument was regarding air tags that Mr. Jackson put on her car to keep track of her and that she wanted them removed, according to police.
The woman said that Mr. Jackson returned home at approximately 12:30 PM and allegedly forced the screen door off its hinges, according to police. Mr. Jackson then allegedly kicked the door open, damaging the door frame, according to police.
The woman said she was in the kitchen when Mr. Jackson “aggressively approached” her, allegedly grabbed her neck, and started yelling at cursing at her, according to police. The woman said she was able to get out of Mr. Jackson’s grasp and run to her house alarm and press the panic button. She told police that she did not call in the morning because at that time she was not going to pursue the matter criminally. She said that after this alleged incident, she would now like to sign complaints alleging domestic battery, according to police.
About Police Reports
Please note that we repeatedly say “according to police” in these reports and often use “allegedly.” We are not asserting in any way that those police arrested and charged committed any offenses. We report on what is in the reports that the police furnish to us. As those accused are innocent until proven guilty, the burden is on prosecutors and police to prove all alleged crimes.
eNews Park Forest has continuously published the addresses of those arrested and will continue to do so. 5 ILCS 140/2.15 states that the governmental body (for these reports, the Police Department), shall release information on those charged, including their name, age, and address. This information is necessary to ensure the proper identity of those arrested.
Presumption of Innocence
An arrest does not mean that a person is guilty. The law presumes all those whom police arrest are innocent until proven guilty. It is the policy of eNews Park Forest not to remove items from the public record from publication. Suppose you find your name in the police reports. Our policy is that we will only add information relevant to the final disposition of the case at hand, e.g., “Mr. Smith was subsequently acquitted,” “Mr. Smith entered a guilty plea,” or “All charges against Mr. Smith were subsequently dropped.” We will do so upon receiving and verifying proof of such disposition.
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According to police, officers captured all the incidents in this report on body-worn and dash-mounted cameras at the respective scenes. All Park Forest police officers wear body-worn cameras. Officials typically abbreviate these devices as BWC in the reports.
We encourage persons wishing to leave anonymous information on any criminal matters, including narcotics or gang activity, to call the Park Forest Police Department Investigations Division at (708) 748-1309.