Man charged with murder in fatal Homan Square shooting that left five wounded

A West Side man who was on federal parole has been charged with murder in a drive-by shooting last month that killed a woman and wounded four other people in Homan Square.

Barry Smith, 31, is accused of opening fire on the group and fatally wounding 21-year-old Nakia Bailey, according to Cook County prosecutors. He’s charged with one count of first-degree murder and four counts of attempted murder, court documents show.

About 9:40 p.m. May 2, Smith and another person drove to the 3500 block of West Grenshaw, where they pointed guns out of both driver’s side windows and fired at least 11 shots toward the group of five people, prosecutors said.

Bailey was struck by three bullets — one in the right rib, one in the right shoulder and one in the upper back, prosecutors said. She died the next day at Mount Sinai Hospital, and her death was ruled a homicide, according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office.

A 19-year-old man who was shot four times became paralyzed because of his wounds, prosecutors said. The other three people wounded were an 18-year-old man, a 19-year-old man and a 17-year-old boy. All were treated at Mount Sinai and later released.

Officers called to the scene found 11 shell casings — one from a .40-caliber bullet, and the rest from a .9mm gun, according to prosecutors, who said Chicago police surveillance cameras caught the entire shooting on video, and two witnesses identified Smith as a shooter.

Smith, of Lawndale, was on parole at the time of the shooting after he had been released from federal prison in Jan. 21 on a controlled substance charge, prosecutors said. Smith is a member of the Traveling Vice Lords street gang, an arrest report shows.

Officers arrested Smith on Thursday at the Kluczynski Federal Building in the Loop while he was visiting a federal parole officer, according to the arrest report. He’s the only person who has been charged in the case.

Smith was denied bail Saturday and will remain in Cook County Jail until his next court hearing on Monday.