A Cook County judge ordered Terry King detained before trial in a September attempted-murder case and revoked his pretrial release in a separate June case, according to CWB Chicago. Prosecutors cited several prior felony convictions, including unlawful use of a weapon by a felon and Class X armed habitual criminal.
Why King was released in the June case
King, 40, was on felony pretrial release when the September shooting occurred. The release followed a June 24 incident at the 69th Street Red Line station. Police said King punched an officer in the side of the face and swung at the officer twice more, missing both times. CWB Chicago reported that aggravated battery of a police officer is not eligible for pretrial detention under Illinois law unless the officer suffers great bodily harm.
Allegations in the September case
The September case stems from a shooting around 7:45 p.m. on September 17 in the 800 block of East 79th Street, where Chicago police said two men were shot. At the detention hearing, prosecutors identified King as the gunman and alleged that he stomped on one man’s head after the victim fell to the sidewalk, CWB Chicago reported.
Pretrial detention rules and reported figures
Under the SAFE-T Act, prosecutors may ask a judge to detain defendants charged with certain felonies. ABC7 Chicago reported that prosecutors have sought to expand the list of eligible offenses, including to cover aggravated assault involving a firearm, and that high-profile cases involving people on pretrial release have prompted calls to change electronic monitoring rules. The station also cited Cook County court figures showing that 94% of people on pretrial release did not commit a violent crime while released: ABC7 Chicago. Townhall also covered King’s case in a broader discussion of violent incidents involving people on pretrial release: Townhall.
What court data shows
The Circuit Court of Cook County maintains a Pretrial Fairness Act dashboard summarizing initial decision points for criminal cases filed since the law took effect on September 18, 2023. In a separate observational sample, WTTW reported that court-watchers observed judges order pretrial detention in 73.8% of the cases they watched. That observation is not a countywide rate and does not establish what happened in King’s hearings.
CWB Chicago’s case tracker places King among 14 people accused of killing or trying to kill someone in Chicago in 2026 while on felony pretrial release. The outlet says the 14 cases involve 21 alleged victims, five of whom died, including a Chicago police officer and a firefighter. These figures reflect CWB Chicago’s own case tracking and are not an independently verified count.
