Oct. 10--John Buckner impressed his 11-year-old grandson and some friends on his block last month when he pulled up in front of his Far South Side home in a brand-new Dodge Charger.
The longtime civilian employee of the Chicago Police Department, nicknamed Buck, had just bought the car an hour before and began unloading groceries with his wife and grandson.
Suddenly, three suspects on bicycles pulled out handguns and opened fire on five friends sitting on a porch across the street, then turned and fatally shot Buckner as his wife and grandson watched the scene unfold, according to Cook County prosecutors.
William Cochran, 18, a reputed gang member from the same Morgan Park neighborhood as Buckner, was arrested this week in the Sept. 16 slaying and ordered held on $1 million bail Friday by Judge Laura Sullivan at the Leighton Criminal Court Building.
Cochran was charged with first-degree murder in Buckner's death and aggravated battery with a firearm for allegedly wounding a 41-year-old man in the ear, authorities said.
At Cochran's bond hearing, prosecutors said a witness who drove directly behind the gunmen watched as the shooting happened about 8:45 p.m. in the 11500 block of South Church Street.
Buckner and his wife threw themselves to the ground to try to avoid the gunfire, but Buckner was hit in his side and later died at a hospital, prosecutors said. Buckner's wife suffered a chipped tooth, cuts to her chin and face, and a busted lip in her bid to escape the gunfire, according to prosecutors.
Police recovered about 14 shell casings from the scene from at least two guns. Police canvassed the neighborhood and came up with the nicknames of possible suspects, including Cochran.
Three witnesses identified Cochran in a photo array and a fourth identified him in a lineup, prosecutors said. The shooting also was captured on a police camera mounted on a utility pole and a private surveillance video system.
Speaking at a news conference Friday, Chicago police Deputy Chief Eugene Roy provided few specifics about the investigation but said two other suspects are still being sought.
He praised Morgan Park District patrol officers for using their "unique and specialized street knowledge of the community" to arrest Cochran on Wednesday evening in the 1300 block of West 113th Place, not far from where he lives.
Roy also credited the community for stepping up and helping the police.
Police have said the shooting stemmed from an earlier gang fight in a neighborhood park and that Buckner was not the intended target.
A 25-year Chicago police veteran, Buckner handled equipment and supplies for the department, police said.
"He's part of the family," Roy said. "The Chicago Police Department is a family, whether you're sworn or civilian."
jgorner@tribpub.com
