A Chicago man is facing murder charges after police say he opened fire on two men standing outside in Logan Square this summer, killing one and wounding the other. Brandon Sims, 31, was arrested Sept. 15 in the 2200 block of West Washington Boulevard, more than two months after the shooting that left a 43-year-old man dead.
According to FOX 32 Chicago, police identified Sims as the person who shot two men around 11:06 p.m. on July 11 in the 1600 block of North Washtenaw Avenue. Investigators say the two men were standing outside when Sims approached them, pulled out a gun, and fired.
The 43-year-old victim was shot in the back and was taken to Stroger Hospital in critical condition, where he later died, the outlet reports. A 33-year-old man was also shot, taking a bullet to the left leg, and was likewise brought to Stroger Hospital for treatment. Police say Sims ran from the scene after the shooting.
Arrest Came Weeks Later in West Town
Sims wasn't taken into custody until Sept. 15, when he was arrested in West Town in the 2200 block of West Washington Boulevard. He now faces first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder, aggravated battery with the discharge of a firearm, and unlawful possession of a firearm by a repeat felony offender charges, per the same account. He was due in court for a detention hearing on Thursday.
Chicago police records cited in the report show Sims was previously arrested on Aug. 31, 2023, and charged with being an armed habitual criminal. The Chicago Police Department provided the information used in the FOX 32 report.
A History Tied to a Prior Shooting
Sims's name surfaced in Chicago news years earlier under starkly different circumstances. In 2020, chicagotribune.com reported that Sims, then 28 and living in Country Club Hills, had been on the run after skipping bail six months earlier in an attempted murder case, having failed to appear in court in November 2019.
That earlier saga ended with Sims himself as a shooting victim. Chicagotribune.com reported he was apprehended in late April 2020 after being shot multiple times in a suspected vehicle shootout in Markham. He was found on April 19, 2020, in the backseat of a black Lexus NX200t resting in a field off 159th Street and was taken to Advocate Christ Medical Center.
The July shooting adds to a string of recent Chicago gun violence cases making headlines this year. In a separate case, ABC7 Chicago reported that a family was seeking answers after Pilsen man Charles Senase was fatally shot on a front porch while taking a college test earlier this month.
No outcome from Sims's Thursday detention hearing has been reported.
