Felon Charged in Tinley Park Shots Fired Incident

TINLEY PARK, IL — A 19-year-old felon from Chicago was charged following a shots fired incident last week in Tinley Park.

Xavier Lawrence, of the 6300 block of South Langely, Chicago, faces charges of aggravated discharge of a firearm and unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon, said Tinley Park Police Chief Steve Neubauer.

The shots were not aimed at anyone, Neubauer said. Lawrence was "just firing off a gun."

Lawrence has a previous conviction of felony residential burglary, which prohibits him from owning a gun.

The incident on Friday set off a panic in Tinley Park, after residents nearby heard three shots fired. The report came in around 3:30 a.m., from the 15900 block of Westway Walk. Police initially called to the scene did not find the suspects but recovered three shell casings, according to Neubauer.

Nearly two hours later at 5:19 a.m., a second call to police reported two people believed to be involved in the shooting entering a cab in that vicinity. Officers later stopped the cab near a post office at 171st Street and Harlem Avenue and took two people into custody. No one was injured.

Both suspects taken into custody were questioned, and Lawrence was later charged. Bond was set at $60,000, and he is due in court Sept. 7, according to court records.

Photo: Xavier Lawrence / Cook County Sheriff Department