Second man convicted of 2009 gang-related murder gets 80 years

The second of two men convicted of the 2009 fatal shooting on a reputed gang leader on the West Side was sentenced to 80 years in prison Friday.

Lonnial Roundtree, 27, was convicted of murder and aggravated battery with a firearm in connection with the shooting that killed one man and injured a Chicago Housing Authority employee in April 2009, according to the Cook County state’s attorney office.

Prosecutors said Roundtree and 39-year-old Reginald Royal approached a “high ranking member of a rival street gang” in the 3800 block of West Flournoy while he was outside a home on April 23, 2009. He was with a CHA inspector, who was examining the home according to a statement from prosecutors.

Royal and Roundtree, who were driven to the home by another person, exited the car and opened fire, killing the man and injuring the CHA inspector, according to the statement.

The Cook County medical examiner’s office identified the victim as 38-year-old Raymond Washington, who lived in Highland Park.

Nearby police officers heard the gunshots and saw Royal and Roundtree enter the car and drive off. The officers chased the car, and eventually arrested the two men. The officers recovered the guns used in the shooting, according to the statement.

At trial, both men admitted to the shooting, but claimed it was in self-defense, though Washington was shot about two dozen times.

Royal, who was also convicted of murder and aggravated battery with a firearm, was sentence to 80 years in prison in September.

Reginald Royal | Cook County sheriff’s office