- Credibility:
ALBANY PARK — A second man has been charged in the shooting off an on-duty firefighter this month in Albany Park, police said.
Jermaine White, 29, was taken into custody around 5:30 p.m. Monday in the 2200 block of Bensley in suburban Lansing, Illinois. He’s charged with aggravated battery and is expected to appear in bond court Wednesday.
Police had previously arrested Hollis Williams, 29, in the 2800 block of West Irving Park Road.
At about 1 a.m. on Feb. 2, two people set a car on fire near 3400 West Wilson Avenue and ran off, hoping to draw people out of an apartment building, police said. Three men and a woman came out of the building as firefighters worked to put the fire out.
The woman who exited the building got into a car and drove away from the scene when two people fired shots in her direction, police said.
RELATED: Man Charged With Shooting Firefighter In Albany Park, Police Say
Gunfire was then exchanged between the men who exited the building with the woman and the men firing at the woman’s car, according to police.
During the shootout, a 36-year-old firefighter was shot in his left leg.
All of the shooters then fled the scene, police said.
The firefighter was taken to Illinois Masonic Medical Center for treatment. He is now recovering at home.
After reviewing security footage from cameras in the area, police said they believed the firefighter was not the intended target. Officers later found three guns in a first-floor apartment at 3359 W. Wilson Ave., police said.
RELATED: Shooting Of Firefighter The Last Straw For Albany Park Neighbors: ‘It Didn’t Used To Be Like This’
After the shooting, neighbors gathered with police and elected officials Tuesday to discuss the recent violence. Some blamed squatters living at 3359 W. Wilson Ave., where they said drug sales were rampant.
A landlord for the building said he’s been trying to remove the squatters for a month but was unsuccessful until police found guns on the property.
RELATED: Albany Park Landlord Under Fire After Recent Violence Linked To His Building, But He Blames Cops
After the public outcry, police ramped up patrols in the area.
Less than a week after a firefighter was shot, another car fire was reported on the same block.
Officers on patrol noticed the car fire at about 2 a.m. Friday at 3355 W. Wilson Ave. — just outside the apartment building that has been blamed for recent violence in the area.
Police said the car fires do not appear to be connected at this time.
