Gang member gets 51 years for 2014 fatal revenge shooting
CHICAGO (STMW) - A gang member has been sentenced to 51 years in prison for a fatal retaliation shooting in the South Chicago neighborhood in 2014.
Khalie Early, 21, was found guilty of murder and aggravated battery with discharge of a firearm on Jan. 7 after a trial, according to Cook County court records.
Early, an admitted member of the Black P-Stone gang, went to 86th and Escanaba on Sept. 28, 2014, because he knew the area was controlled by the Vice Lords, prosecutors said at the time.
Early, armed with a loaded semi-automatic handgun, was looking for revenge for the shooting of a fellow gang member, prosecutors said.
Early saw Miguel Hernandez standing on a porch in the 8500 block of South Escanaba and opened fire, authorities said.
Hernandez, 24, who lived on the block, was shot multiple times and died at the scene, according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office.
An 18-year-old woman and a 35-year-old man standing at a nearby train station were also wounded, authorities said.
Early ran away after the shooting, but when he walked out of a nearby gangway, witnesses already talking to responding police officers identified him as the gunman, prosecutors said. The handgun used in the shooting was also recovered.
Judge Vincent Gaughan sentenced Early to 45 years for the murder and six years for the firearm charge on Wednesday, according to court records. The sentences will be served consecutively for a total of 51 years.
Early, formerly of the 8700 block of South Burley, was admitted to the Stateville Correctional Center on Thursday, according to IDOC records.