Man killed in midday Uptown shootout was targeting rival gang members: prosecutors

A man shot dead last week in Uptown was allegedly shooting at rival gang members who returned fire and struck him in the head, prosecutors say.

The shooting unfolded shortly after noon April 28 as Joseph Moses and his girlfriend sat parked in a vehicle near the corner of Magnolia and Ainsle, according to a bond proffer prepared by the Cook County state’s attorney’s office.

Moses, 23, who was on parole for a drug case and wanted for a Skokie burglary case, is seen on surveillance video exiting the driver’s seat and walking down the 4800 block of North Magnolia toward four rival gang members, prosecutors said

Moses then pulled out a 9mm handgun and fired on the group, striking a 19-year-old in the wrist, according to police and prosecutors.

One man in the group, 18-year-old Darryl Young, pulled out his own gun and ran for cover between two parked cars, prosecutors said. Young then fired as Moses ran back to Ainsle, striking Moses’ right ear, lodging a bullet in the back of his head and causing him to collapse at the corner.

During the shootout, people nearby ran for cover, including a couple who were pushing their toddler in a stroller while walking their dog, prosecutors said. The dog ran off startled and was struck by a car, and ultimately was euthanized.

As Moses bled, his girlfriend, Kimberly Todd, 34, ran to him and grabbed his gun from under his body, prosecutors said.

She tried to hide the gun in the bag of a witness who came to help, but the witnesses alerted responding officers, prosecutors said. Todd was arrested on charges of possession of a weapon by a felon, possession of a controlled substance and obstruction of justice.

Brain dead, Moses was taken to a hospital and pronounced dead the next day, prosecutors said.

Todd, who violated a bail bond for a 2019 weapons charge, was ordered held without bail, prosecutors said. Her criminal history includes a 2008 guilty plea for aggravated DUI, and a 2009 guilty plea to manufacture/delivery of cocaine. She served probation in both cases.

Young is charged with felony aggravated unlawful use of a weapon, according to prosecutors. He was ordered held on $20,000 bail.

Police arrested three other people at the scene but released them without charges, Chicago police said. Murder charges against Young were rejected by prosecutors, police said.

Todd and Young are due back in court May 7 in Skokie.

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