A 25-year-old man has been sentenced to 14 years in prison for opening fire on a West Side street in front of an off-duty Chicago police officer, just 15 days after posting bail in another gun case.
Jawaun Stamps pled guilty to aggravated discharge of a firearm at an occupied vehicle and unlawful possession of a firearm, according to Cook County court records. Judge Kenneth Wadas sentenced him to 13 years in prison for the firearm discharge conviction, followed by a one-year sentence for illegal weapon possession.
The shooting took place on the afternoon of June 4, 2022, in the 3600 block of West Douglas Boulevard. Prosecutors claim that a Chicago police detective, on his way to work, spotted a silver Dodge Charger parked in a traffic lane. Stamps allegedly jumped out of the front passenger seat with a weapon, crouched behind a parked vehicle, and opened fire on a nearby residence while the officer waited behind the car.
Bullets struck a 38-year-old man who was sitting on a porch. According to prosecutors, Stamps temporarily retreated behind the truck before starting the fire as another individual brought the victim inside.
The detective contacted 911 about the incident as Stamps allegedly threw the rifle into the Charger and returned to the passenger seat. Subsequently, investigators discovered that Stamps had carjacked the vehicle at gunpoint and fled the scene.
Eventually, the Charger collided with a brick wall. The driver escaped, but Stamps was apprehended after hopping a fence. Officers discovered a firearm lying in the grass on the opposite side of the fence.
Police discovered 23 shotshells at the location, which were reportedly fired from the firearm. An additional 40 shot casings were discovered inside the vehicle, implying that the driver may have fired at the residence, according to authorities.
Stamps stepped out of the Cook County Jail 15 days ago after paying a $3,000 deposit bond in a newly filed gun charge.
Around 2 p.m. on May 20, 2022, four Chicago police officers patrolling near the 1500 block of South Ridgeway heard gunshots. Stamps was detained as he fled the scene in a carjacked Mercedes with a multi-caliber rifle on the passenger-side floorboard, according to prosecutors.
At the shooting scene, authorities discovered a 31-year-old male with bullet wounds all over his body. Stamps was charged with aggravated unauthorized use of a firearm and criminal trespass to a vehicle, but not with shooting the man, firing the gun, or carjacking the Mercedes.
Stamps was mentioned in a 2022 CPD intelligence assessment as one of the “Top 10 subjects” in the North Lawndale-based Ogden District. The document depicted Stamps as a dangerous gang member involved in two shooting incidents within a span of three weeks. Prosecutors claim he has “approximately 12” gang-related tattoos.
His attorneys have denied any gang affiliation. Court records show that his sole prior conviction as an adult was for misdemeanor firearm possession.
Stamps must complete 85% of the 13-year aggravated discharge term and 50% of the gun possession sentence. The Illinois Department of Corrections forecasts that he will be released on December 9, 2033.
