CHICAGO — Three men involved in an exchange of gunfire in a store parking lot in a Chicago suburb have been indicted on federal firearm violations.
The indictment in U.S. District Court in Chicago accuses ANTHONY HAYES and JAMARI WILLIAMS of each firing multiple rounds at REGINALD DANIELS in the store parking lot in Calumet City, Ill., on Aug. 9, 2021. Daniels and another individual with him were wounded. Daniels drew a gun from his waistband and fired multiple rounds at Hayes and Williams as they ran away, the indictment states. One of Daniels’s shots struck an individual who happened to be driving near the store and was not involved in the exchange of gunfire, the indictment states.
Three days after the shootings, law enforcement conducted a court-authorized search of Hayes’s residence and discovered eight firearms, including the handguns used by Hayes and Williams in the shooting of Daniels and the individual with him, the indictment states.
The indictment charges Hayes, 24, of Dolton, Ill., Williams, 23, of Chicago, and Daniels, 40, of Chicago, with illegal possession of a firearm as previously convicted felons. Hayes also faces additional counts of illegal possession of machine guns. All three defendants are in law enforcement custody. Daniels is scheduled to appear for a detention hearing today at 3:00 p.m. before U.S. Magistrate Judge Gabriel A. Fuentes. Federal court appearances for Hayes and Williams have not yet been scheduled.
The indictment was announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; and Kristen de Tineo, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Division of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Substantial assistance was provided by the Calumet City Police Department, U.S. Marshals Service, South Suburban Major Crimes Task Force, South Suburban Emergency Response Team, Cook County Sheriff’s Office, and Illinois State Police. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul Mower.
The public is reminded that an indictment is not evidence of guilt. The defendants are presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. If convicted, the Court must impose reasonable sentences under federal statutes and the advisory U.S. Sentencing Guidelines.