By William Lee
Chicago Tribune
CHICAGO — A judge ordered a $1 million cash bail on Sunday for a South Side man accused of opening fire on two Chicago police officers and wounding both after his handgun fell to ground in front of one of the officers.
Kailon Harris-Caldwell was absent from his bail hearing Sunday at the Leighton Criminal Court Building, having been hospitalized for back pain after his arrest, authorities said.
Harris-Caldwell, 24, of Chicago’s Burnside neighborhood, faces two counts of attempted murder of a police officer after he allegedly shot two uniformed officers after an encounter outside the Original Maxwell Street hot dog stand in the 3800 block of West Harrison Street early Friday.
Prosecutors sought a petition denying bail for Harris-Caldwell, but Judge Kelly Marie McCarthy left the question for a judge at a future court hearing, citing the state law that criminal defendants must be present at hearings where bail is denied.
During the hearing broadcast on YouTube, prosecutors echoed the narrative of the shooting as first given by police Superintendent David Brown, saying that Harris-Caldwell dropped a handgun with an extended magazine while he was standing in line in front of one of the officers.
After picking up the weapon, he quickly fired at that officer, grazing him in the head, according to Assistant State’s Attorney Michelle Papa. As he ran from the scene, Harris-Caldwell fired on the second officer, who was seated in his police vehicle, striking him in the leg, Papa said.
The wounded officers gave dispatchers a description of the gunman, and Harris-Caldwell was arrested a short time later hiding under a truck in a commercial lot nearby, authorities said. In addition to the handgun, police recovered six bags of suspected cannabis and 26 bags of suspected heroin, according to Papa.
The grazed officer received six staples to his head and was released later that day. The second officer suffered nerve damage to his right leg and was released from the hospital Saturday night, Papa said.
Surveillance video captured the shooting, as well as the gunman’s path of flight, authorities said. Police matched the fired bullet casings with the gun recovered near Harris-Caldwell and noted that he was wearing the same clothing as the gunman captured on video, Papa added.
Harris-Caldwell would have to pay the full $1 million to be released. His case was scheduled to return to court on Wednesday.
©2022 Chicago Tribune.