Prosecutors: Man murdered rival after he was punched

James Green was sitting in an Austin neighborhood social club when Edward Flowers came up and punched him in the face.

Green wasn’t going to let Flowers get away with the slight, Cook County prosecutors said Thursday.

So as Flowers began walking away that morning on Feb. 1, Green got up from his chair, pulled out a gun and fired, Assistant State’s Attorney Brian Whang said.

Green wasn’t done, Whang said. After Flowers, 42, fell to the floor, Green put the gun to the victim’s head and fired again, Whang said.

Many inside the club in the 500 block of South Cicero saw the shooting and surveillance footage also captured Green firing at Flowers, Whang said.

At the time of the murder, Flowers’ friends set up a Facebook page, RIP Edward Flowers (Pot), to share memories of the man they called “Pot.”

An arrest warrant was issued for Green in late February and the 33-year-old was arrested in Madison, Wisconsin, in March. At the time of his arrest, Green had a gun, prosecutors said.

He was extradited to Illinois earlier this week.

Green has two children, his lawyer said. The defense attorney also noted that Flowers had hit Green prior to the shooting and was injured from the assault.

Green had been working as a cook and dishwasher.

He has previous convictions for aggravated battery tied to a strangulation and aggravated discharge of a firearm.

Judge James Brown ordered Green, of the 6400 block of South Lowe, held on $2 million bail.