Dec. 15--An Evanston man on parole for a gun conviction was ordered held on $1 million bail Monday after he and others were involved in a gun battle early Sunday in which 78 bullets were fired, including two from police, according to prosecutors and police.
Ralph Banks, 19, of the 2000 block of West Darrow Avenue, was charged with aggravated discharge of a firearm, according to Chicago police. Banks, who was injured in the shooting, had a bond hearing Monday afternoon at the Leighton Criminal Court Building.
Banks was identified as one of the shooters from an incident in the 1100 block of West Patterson Avenue about 3:05 a.m., authorities said. He was pursued by responding officers and was arrested without incident, police said.
In court, Assistant Cook County State's Attorney Erin Antonietti said three guns were recovered from the scene, including a .40-caliber semi-automatic handgun believed to be used by Banks.
Banks and two others were walking in the area when they brandished handguns and began firing a series of shots near Patterson and Racine Avenue, officials said.
According to prosecutors, police were at a nearby McDonald's across the street from Wrigley Field when they heard the volley of shots and saw several gunmen at Racine and Patterson shooting at other people as pedestrians and vehicles were driving by.
The officers headed toward the gunfire and spotted two gunmen running east on Patterson, toward them. The officers each discharged their weapons once, but it is believed that no one was struck by the officers, according to police and prosecutors.
Investigators recovered 78 spent shells from the area, two of which came from police, said Antonietti, adding that police also recovered three hand guns. In addition, Antonietti said five vehicles were hit by gunfire.
Both gunmen dropped their weapons, which were recovered by police, and fled the scene, police said at the time. The .40-caliber gun found near Banks had 11 bullets in its magazine, said Antonietti.
A surveillance camera in the area recorded a person matching Banks' description wearing similar clothing.
Banks was released on parole Oct. 6 after being convicted of unlawful use of a firearm earlier this year and had been sentenced to 18 months in prison, according to records.
Police said Banks showed up at Presence St. Francis Hospital in Evanston with a gunshot wound to the upper back that police said he'd suffered during the initial exchange of gunfire, not by either of the officers.
Police blocked traffic on Racine early Sunday, a block west of Wrigley Field. At least two dozen shell casings were scattered on the sidewalk, marked temporarily with pieces of paper. A dark car in the street appeared to be damaged, and large chunks of debris were strewn in the middle of the road.
"My wife and I were awoken by gunshots,'' said Matthew Gallagher, 46, a real estate attorney who lives in a condominium in the 1100 block of West Patterson with his wife and two children, 8 and 6.
Gallagher said he heard "in excess of 20 gunshots." He peeked outside his front window and saw officers running past his home and in the direction of where he heard the gunshots.
He said he'd assumed police were "on top of it,'' and the couple went back to sleep. They got up with their kids about 6 a.m. and looked outside again.
"There was a very large police presence in the area,'' Gallagher said.
Police were going door to door speaking with people, looking under cars and searching in yards and gangways. A detective came to his door and told Gallagher they'd found four guns.
Gallagher, who has lived in Wrigleyville for the past 25 years, said they are used to noise in the neighborhood, especially on Saturday, the day of a holiday pub crawl in the area, but not "rapid-fire gunfire.''
"Living close to Wrigley Field, we're used to a lot of drunk people behaving inappropriately. This is not typical," he said.
A 19-year-old student who lives near Racine and Waveland avenues said she and her boyfriend awoke to a "massive crunching noise." About the same time they also heard gunfire. "It sounded like a hollow popping of firecrackers. Twenty times I heard that.''
The woman, who did not want to be identified, called 911 as they looked outside their bedroom window, which faces Racine, and spotted two cars: a boxy-looking, newer gray sedan and an older white sport utility vehicle.
Both cars had major front-end damage. Each hit at least one parked vehicle while screeching away from the scene, she said.
"I thought I was dreaming. This is such a safe neighborhood," the woman said. "It was astounding. I could not wrap my head around it."
