Man accused in fatal shooting at Dolton gas station denied bail

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Julian Upshaw, 21, was charged with one count of first-degree murder. | Cook County Sheriff’s Office

The accused shooter in a deadly armed robbery at a Dolton gas station was denied bail on Sunday.

Cook County Judge David R. Navarro swiftly ordered 21-year-old Julian Upshaw, the second suspect charged in connection with the shooting, held on a first-degree murder charge. Standing in the back of the courtroom were 18 family members and friends of 19-year-old Arshad Vahora, who was killed in the shooting.

The attack came after Upshaw got out of a Chevrolet Silverado about 11 a.m. on Dec. 28 and walked into the family-owned On the Go gas station at 733 E. 142nd St., according to Cook County prosecutors.

Once inside, he shot Vahora in the head and chest and a 55-year-old man in the torso and shoulder, prosecutors said. Upshaw was seen on surveillance shooting both men before he walked out of the gas station and into a white Chrysler.

Vahora, who officers found lying in a pool of blood, was pronounced dead on the scene, prosecutors and the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office said. The older man was treated at Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn and was expected to survive.

More than a month after a warrant was issued for his arrest, officers found Upshaw on Saturday in Robbins and took him into custody, prosecutors said.

One of the two other suspects in the case, 45-year-old Derrick Fils, had turned himself in Jan. 26 on an arrest warrant, prosecutors said. Fils, who had bought lottery tickets at the gas station three separate times before the shooting, was charged with one count each of first-degree murder and attempted murder. He was being held with no bail until his next court appearance on Friday.

Upshaw, of Dolton, was scheduled to appear in court Wednesday.

Police were still searching for a third suspect, 45-year-old Eric Brewer, in connection with the shooting, according to Dolton police. Authorities offered a $20,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction.

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