Ottawa Street Killing: Victim, 16, Fired His Gun First

JOLIET, IL — Pedro Zabala, the 16-year-old Romeoville boy who was fatally shot in the head Sunday morning in Joliet, had fired his gun first, prompting 18-year-old Jimmy Baker to return the gunfire, assistant Will County prosecutors revealed Tuesday afternoon in Will County Judge Brian Barrett's courtroom.

Baker, a Joliet resident, was charged Tueday with four counts of aggravated unlawful use of a weapon.

Baker is not being charged with murder in connection with the death of Pedro.

According to Tuesday's courtroom testimony, Pedro was in the neighborhood on the city's southeast side and Pedro fired a gun toward Baker. Baker responded by shooting back and then ran from the scene, prosecutors said.

People in the neighborhood helped Joliet police identify the shooter, and Baker returned to the area later in the day to retrieve his gun that he left on the ground, according to prosecutors. The Joliet Police Department booked Baker into the Will County Jail around 5 p.m. Monday.

Judge Barrett set bail at $300,000 for Baker, who lives in the 1500 block of McKinley Avenue. The judge said he was setting a high bail given the violent nature of the crime and the fact that a 16-year-old boy was dead.

Sunday's homicide occurred at 10:16 a.m. near a house on the corner of Ottawa Street and Munroe Street. Zabala was pronounced dead at the scene. The 16-year-old boy lived in Romeoville.

Prosecutors indicated that Baker had a 2017 battery case as a juvenile but otherwise had no history with the criminal justice system. During Tuesday's bail hearing, Baker appeared over the video system set up at the Will County Jail.

He told Judge Barrett he had been working for Elite Staffing, making $13 hour, but he recently quit "because I had a cold." Baker said he had been living with his grandmother and an aunt.

When asked how much money he could post for bail, Baker estimated he could come up with $1,000, with the help of friends and family.

When Barrett announced bail was set at $300,000, Baker misheard the judge and thought that meant he needed to come up with $3,000 to secure his release from custody.

When told that he needed to come up with $30,000, which is 10 percent of $300,000, Baker responded that he "didn't really have somebody that can post that kind of money."

In the event that Baker comes up with enough money to post bond, the judge told him he is forbidden from possessing any weapons, notably any guns or knives.

On Tuesday morning, the Joliet Police Department issued a news release announcing Baker's arrest.

"Detectives immediately began to investigate what occurred," Joliet police said Tuesday. "Through witness statements and recovered video from the area, it was determined that Baker was involved in the fatal shooting of Zabala. After consulting with the Will County State's Attorney's Office, they approved the charge of aggravated unlawful use of a weapon."