By John Carpenter; Homicide Watch Editor
The man who police say murdered 19-year-old Kevin Ambrose in Bronzeville Tuesday night was arrested after he returned to the scene of the crime and was fingered by a witness, prosecutors said.
Jerome Brown, 26, of the 7400 block of South Emerald, was ordered held without bail Friday.
Prosecutors offered no suggestion of a motive in the slaying, but said Brown chased Ambrose down as the Columbia College student “was running for his life,” shooting multiple times and hitting him in the back.
After the shooting, Brown “fled the scene in his vehicle and met up with his friends,” Cook County Assistant State’s Attorney Jacqueline Kwilos said. “The defendant and his friends were talking about the shooting, so they got into their vehicle and drove past where the defendant shot (Ambrose). As the defendant drove past, a witness on the scene pointed to the defendant and identified him as the shooter.”
Kwilos said Brown was arrested, and “tested positive for gunshot residue.”
Ambrose had no gang affiliations, according to police as well as his family and friends. Chicago Police News Affairs spokesman Mike Sullivan said Brown does have known gang affiliations.
Ambrose was walking from his house to the 47th Street L stop on the CTA’s Green Line shortly after 11 p.m. Tuesday. A friend was getting off the train, and Ambrose did not want him to have to walk from the train to his house alone.
According to Kwilos, a witness saw Brown “quickly stop his vehicle, exit, go into his trunk and retrieve a handgun. The defendant began chasing the victim while pointing a handgun at him. The victim was running for his life as the defendant shot at the victim multiple times, striking him in the back.”
“The victim continued running after being struck, and finally collapsed on the ground,” Kwilos said.
Brown was taken into custody at 12:20 p.m. Wednesday, Sullivan said.
Assistant Cook County Public Defender Marijane Placek, arguing for a “reasonable bond,” said Brown was identified “more by his car.”
Cook County Circuit Court Judge Adam Bourgeois Jr., however, said his decision was based on wanting to “keep everybody safe.” Placek countered that incarcerating people doesn’t necessarily make everyone safe, to which Bourgeois pointed at Brown and said: “But it stops this individual from being o the street.”