Murder Charges in Chicago Heights Gunfight That Killed 1

CHICAGO HEIGHTS - A 20-year-old man was charged in the murder of a Chicago Heights man who was shot inside a vehicle during a gunfight, prosecutors said.

Troy Jefferson, of Dolton, appeared before Cook County Judge Darron Bowden on a charge of first degree murder in the death of 19-year-old Daniel Rodriguez. He is facing additional felony charges of two counts of attempted murder, and three counts of attempted armed robbery.

According to the charges, Jefferson along with another accomplice set a marijuana sale with Rodriguez and two other young men in Chicago Heights. The prosecutor said that Jefferson knew the men from grammar school.

Around 11 p.m. Feb. 1, Jefferson and his pal met Rodriguez and his friends in the 500 block of Emerald Avenue in Chicago Heights. Jefferson climbed into the backseat with Rodriguez, where the prosecutor said he pulled out a handgun and announced a robbery.

The two men in the front seat also pulled out handguns. Jefferson and Rodriguez’s friends began shooting at each other in the car, the prosecutor said.

Jefferson’s friend who was standing outside also began shooting into the car. Rodriguez died from a gunshot wound to the chest. Another man in the vehicle was wounded in the leg. The prosecutor said the two surviving witnesses identified Jefferson as the shooter.

Rodriguez and the wounded 20-year-old Country Club Hills man showed up at St. James Hospital in Olympia Fields. Rodriguez was pronounced dead, news reports said.

Chicago Heights police and the South Suburban Major Crimes Task Force are investigating the case. The prosecutor said that police arrested Jefferson on Feb. 4 where he had been hiding at a friend’s house.

The assistant public defender told the judge that Jefferson was currently living in Dolton, but had grown up in Chicago Heights where he attended Bloom High School through the tenth grade.

Judge Bowden set bail at $5 million. Jefferson is due back in court Feb. 27 in Markham.