Man charged with 2014 murder at South Shore apartment

A man who allegedly fled to Iowa after he shot a man to death inside a South Shore apartment last year was denied bail Tuesday.

Charles L. Johnson, 22, is facing one count of first-degree murder, Chicago Police said in a statement.

On Nov. 7, 2014, a 19-year-old man attending a party at an apartment in the 7300 block of South Blackstone went outside to buy cigarettes when he saw Johnson, who asked if his girlfriend was inside, Cook County Assistant State’s Attorney Enrique Abraham said at a bond hearing Tuesday.

When the man turned to go look for Johnson’s girlfriend, Johnson pushed past him into the apartment, Abraham said. He then found 22-year-old Lydell Lynch in the dining room and shot him multiple times in the chest and side, authorities claim.

The 19-year-old began to struggle with Johnson and got hold of his gun, Abraham said. At some point, the gun discharged, striking the 19-year-old, Abraham said. Police later recovered that gun and five shell casings.

Lynch was taken to Jackson Park Hospital, where he died about 45 minutes after the shooting, the Cook County medical examiner’s office said at the time.

The second man shot and a witness to the incident later identified Johnson in a photo array, Abraham said. Police said Johnson was arrested Jan. 13 in Iowa City, Iowa, and was extradited to Chicago on Monday.

Cook County Judge Adam Bourgeois Jr. ordered Johnson held without bond Tuesday.

“You walk into an apartment and start shooting . . . you are a danger,” Bourgeois said.

Johnson lives with his mother in the 6400 block of South Ellis and sometimes with his girlfriend on the West Side, in the 3900 block of West Van Buren, according to an assistant public defender. He worked temporarily as a factory worker before his arrest and had completed his sophomore year at South Shore High School.

Johnson was previously sentenced to four years in prison for a 2010 robbery and two years probation for aggravated battery to a peace officer, court records show.