Joshua Poe / Photo from Chicago Police
BY MICHAEL LANSU
Homicide Watch Chicago Editor
Joshua Poe was ordered held without bond Friday after prosecutors claimed he shot his “good friend” Curtis Lyons after smoking synthetic marijuana Wednesday morning in the Ashburn community.
Poe, 26, spent Wednesday morning smoking synthetic marijuana in the basement of his home in the 3100 block of West 84th Place, said Assistant State’s Attorney Sarah Karr.
Lyons began to roll a blunt of regular marijuana when, “out of the blue,” Poe grabbed a semi-automatic handgun from a nearby table and stood over his “good friend” Lyons and another man sitting on the couch, Karr said.
Poe began to waive the gun around and question the men about their loyalty, Karr said. When other people in the basement attempted to stop Poe, he shot Lyons in the face, prosecutors said.
Lyons, 20, of the 8000 block of South Richmond Street, died at the scene, according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office.
Poe then shot the other man, 19, in the leg, Karr said. After being shot, the man asked Poe to take him to the hospital, but Poe only helped him outside, prosecutors said.
Once outside, Poe tossed the gun into the snow and pushed the wounded man to the ground and fled, Karr said.
The man limped back inside and contacted a friend, who called the wounded man’s mother, Karr said. The mother called 911, and emergency personnel took him to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn for a broken femur.
Police recovered the gun outside the home and police arrested Poe hours later when friends who heard about the shooting became scared and turned him in to police, Karr said.
Poe was charged with first-degree murder and aggravated discharge of a firearm, police said. He was on parole for a stolen weapons conviction, authorities said.
On Friday, Judge Donald Panarese ordered Poe held without bond.
— Contributing: Rummana Hussain