A Waukegan man pleaded not guilty Thursday to the shooting of a man in the parking lot of a Beach Park apartment complex last month.
The victim was shot at about 1 a.m. Sept. 12 and was transported to a local hospital for treatment of a single gunshot wound to the shoulder.
Brandon A. Brown, 26, pleaded not guilty to felony charges of aggravated battery with a firearm, aggravated battery causing great bodily harm and unlawful use of a weapon by a felon. He is being held in Lake County Jail in lieu of $500,000 bond.
Judge Daniel Shanes scheduled Brown’s first case status date for Oct. 25, and an initial trial date of Dec. 12 has been set.
More Top Picks Best Projector Screens
According to the Lake County Sheriff’s Office, deputies were dispatched to Beach Park at 1:13 a.m. Sept. 12 for a report of a man with a gunshot wound.
The deputies found the 42-year-old the victim on Sheridan Road. He told investigators he was in the parking lot of the Shoreline Terrace Apartments, speaking with an acquaintance, when a man wearing a gray hooded sweatshirt approached and shot him, according to sheriff’s office spokesman Det. Christopher Covelli.
After working through the overnight hours, Covelli said detectives identified Brown, of the 1900 block of 10th Street, Waukegan, as the alleged shooting offender.
After obtaining an arrest warrant, members of the Lake County Sheriff’s Gang Task Force along with sheriff’s detectives located Brown the next day as he returned to his home, and attempted to take him into custody.
Covelli said Brown attempted to flee in his vehicle, and struck an unmarked sheriff’s squad car in the process. Detectives were then able to take Brown into custody without further incident, he said.
Twitter @jimnewton5