No bail for man charged in deadly Austin shootout

A man was ordered held without bail Friday on gun charges related to a deadly Austin gang-related shootout in October — a shootout that sparked a public back-and-forth between Mayor Lori Lightfoot and Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx.

Thomas Dean, 20, was tied to two handguns used in the shooting via DNA evidence and charged with two counts of aggravated unlawful use of a weapon, prosecutors said. Both guns — a Glock 22 and a Glock 23 — had been altered illegally into fully-automatic weapons.

No one else has been charged in the Oct. 1 shooting, which occurred in the 1200 block of North Mason Avenue and stemmed from a dispute between factions of the Four Corner Hustlers street gang. The gunfight left one shooter dead and two people wounded, including Dean.

Chicago police

Police originally sought to file murder and aggravated battery charges against five people, but charges weren’t pursued by the state’s attorney’s office because of what Foxx described then as a lack of evidence.

That decision sparked a public spat between Lightfoot and Foxx. But Thursday, the two appeared together at a news conference to announce the charges against Dean. Foxx said more charges were expected “in the coming days.”

The shootout, in broad daylight, was captured on surveillance video. At least three people could be seen jumping out of two Dodge Chargers, one blue and one black, and started shooting into a home on Mason Avenue, according to prosecutors. People inside the home fired back. Police recovered 70 shell casings at the scene.

Later, Dean was dropped off at a hospital in the black Charger with a gunshot wound to his chest. After dropping off Dean, that same Charger was involved in an accident with a van; the Charger’s driver fled after the collision, prosecutors said.

Investigators recovered both Glocks as well as a Mini Draco semi-automatic pistol from the black Charger, prosecutors said. No guns were recovered from the blue Charger.

Along with Dean’s DNA profile, DNA from three other known subjects also was found on both Glocks, prosecutors said. However, Dean’s DNA profile did not match DNA found on the Mini Draco. Dean also tested positive for gunshot residue, according to prosecutors.

Dean lives with his grandmother and sister in Chicago, and works part-time at a warehouse packing and moving boxes, a public defender said.

Dean’s next court date was set for Feb. 18.

Contributing: Tom Schuba