A Naperville man accused of firing shots from a car in the parking lot of a Naperville strip mall while he was on parole has been charged with two felony counts, according to Naperville police.
Levell Leflore, 27, of the 100 block of East Bailey Road, was arrested for felony possession or use of a firearm when on parole and reckless discharge of a firearm.
“I think it’s important for the community to understand that, although we would like every case to be closed right away, solving crimes and securing charges doesn’t always happen quickly. However, that doesn’t mean it’s not a high priority for us, and I can promise you we don’t give up,” Naperville Police Chief Jason Arres said in a news release.
Just after 9:30 p.m. Sept. 29, officers responded to a call of shorts fired in the 300 block of East Bailey Road and found multiple spent shell casings in the parking lot of the strip mall.
The preliminary investigation indicated the shots were fired from a dark-colored sedan that left the area before officers arrived, police said.
Leflore was arrested Sept. 30 on a separate charge, providing investigators the time needed to obtain charges for the discharge of the firearm, the release said.
Leflore is now in the custody of the Illinois Department of Corrections, sentenced in Cook County on felony charges of aggravated fleeing and eluding police and failure to report an accident/death.
Although no injuries were reported, the Sept. 29 shooting put residents in the area on edge and raised concerns about an uptick of crime in the area.
Crime data provided by the department this week shows there were 12 reports of shots fired in 2021, up from eight in 2020 and three in 2019. However, crime overall in the city fell 33%.
“Hopefully the arrests we’ve made previously and the announcement of charges in this particular case bring some level of reassurance to residents that we take our law enforcement responsibility seriously,” Arres said in the release.
“We will continue to engage in proactive policing measures to try to prevent such actions, and we will be relentless in our response when incidents do occur to make sure we arrest the offenders and hold them accountable,” he said.
Anyone with additional information is asked to call the Naperville Police Department at 630-420-6666 and ask for the investigations division.
subaker@tribpub.com
