Two parolees were charged Tuesday in a fatal daytime shooting in Dunning that was apparently captured on a surveillance camera last month.
Divonte D. Calhoun and Justin H. Redmond were both charged with armed robbery and first-degree murder in the May 10 slaying of 24-year-old Zet Rodriguez-Lara just a block from his home, according to court records.
Calhoun had initially been taken into custody two days after the attack but was released without charges, Chicago police officials said during a news conference Tuesday afternoon at Chicago Police Department headquarters.
Since then, detectives were able to gather cellphone data and surveillance footage that tied Calhoun and Redmond to the shooting, according to Kevin Bruno, the deputy chief of detectives.
Calhoun was one of two suspects initially arrested, Bruno said, but Redmond was not the other one.
“Calhoun’s cellphone was a crucial piece of evidence as detectives were able to place Calhoun in the 3900 block of North Pittsburgh at the time the murder occurred,” Bruno said.
Calhoun, a 32-year-old parolee from Gurnee, allegedly shot Rodriguez-Lara during a robbery in the 3900 block of North Pittsburgh Avenue, according to arrest records. Redmond, 41, who lives in Dunning, allegedly served as the getaway driver.
Surveillance footage purportedly shows someone dressed in black shooting Rodriguez-Lara in front of someone’s front lawn. Rodriguez-Lara falls onto the ground, crying out “help,” as the shooter runs down the street.
In court Tuesday, prosecutors said the shooter could also be heard on the video yelling, “Give me the money” and using an expletive.
Video showed the shooter then going through Rodriguez-Lara’s pockets. Witnesses also heard Rodriguez-Lara call out, “I’m shot, I’m shot,” according to a police report.
Both Calhoun’s and Redmond’s cellphones placed them at the crime scene, then later at a gas station in Gurnee, Bruno said. That gas station also had surveillance video of Calhoun wearing the same clothing he was seen wearing in footage from where the shooting occurred.
But prosecutors said the gas station video was the only time the pair’s faces were clearly seen, and there was no physical evidence presented in court Tuesday that connected either man to the crime.
The shooting wasn’t targeted and “appears to have been a random act of violence,” Bruno said.
The shooting stoked fear among neighbors in the quiet Northwest Side community, where a small memorial with flowers and candles was placed near the shooting scene.
Ald. Nicholas Sposato (38th) commended the neighborhood for stepping up and helping detectives with their investigation. Many residents provided footage from their home surveillance cameras that helped to connect Calhoun and Redmond to the crime.
“Everybody was on edge about this,” Sposato said at Tuesday’s news conference. “One thing that everybody forgot when this happened was there was a young mom across the street that had three kids in the house, and she ran out, when people are running and hiding, and administered aid to the individual and tried to save him.”
Rodriguez-Lara had a 6-month-old daughter and was a “great father, friend and brother,” according to a GoFundMe page created to raise funds for his funeral and wake. By Tuesday morning, it had brought in nearly $37,000.
“He was a great man and very hardworking,” said Maggie Berman, who is organizing the fundraiser on GoFundMe. “He took care of my sister more than anyone has.”
Both suspects have long criminal records and have spent significant time in prison.
In July 2017, Calhoun pleaded guilty in Cook County to separate counts of armed robbery and was given concurrent 15-year prison sentences. He is on parole in those cases, as well as for another armed robbery in Lake County in which he was sentenced to 18 years, according to the Illinois Department of Corrections.
Redmond most recently pleaded guilty to a count of being a felon in possession of a firearm, records show. He was sentenced to 54 months in prison in December 2022 and remains on parole.
A police officer testified in court Tuesday that Calhoune was hospitalized for a psychiatric evaluation and wasn’t able to attend the hearing. Judge Mary Marubio ordered him held in custody until a detention hearing could be held.
Marubio ordered Redmond held in custody pending trial on Tuesday. She agreed that much of the evidence was circumstantial, but she cited his criminal history and his being on parole at the time of the shooting as a sign he wouldn’t follow court rules.
