A man who had his life sentence commuted by former President Barack Obama in 2015 has just shot and severely wounded a woman on a highway in suburban Chicago.
54-year-old Alton Mills walked free from prison after receiving a life sentence on federal conspiracy charges for dealing crack cocaine.
But Mills is now looking at another possible life sentence following the shooting, which is expected to be fatal.
Mills was held without bail by Judge Thomas Carroll.
The woman Mills shot is brain-dead and not expected to survive her wounds.
After Obama gave him the break of his life, Mills worked for the Chicago Transit Authority and lent his voice to campaigns to eliminate mandatory minimum sentencing.
Illinois Democrat Sen. Dick Durbin pushed Obama to commute the sentence.
The life story of Chicagoan Alton Mills shows why we need to pass the #FirstStepAct. Alton, who received a pardon from President Obama in 2015, was destined to spend his life in prison. He’s now a contributing member of society. #cjreform pic.twitter.com/QZxvYkmK6t
— Senator Dick Durbin (@SenatorDurbin) December 18, 2018
According to CWB Chicago:
Early Sunday morning, May 14, three friends left a nightclub in south suburban Harvey, and one of them drove the group home.
As their Ford Explorer neared the ramp to I-57, the driver pulled up behind Mills’ SUV at a red light, Assistant State’s Attorney Kathryn Morrissey said during Mills’ bail hearing this week.
Mills’ car didn’t move when the light turned green, so the Explorer’s driver pulled around and passed without screaming or honking, according to Morrissey. She said Mills sped to catch up to the Explorer, pulled up next to them, and fired shots from his driver’s window.
Since President Obama commuted his federal sentence in 2015, Alton Mills has been a classic example of the need for criminal justice reforms.
On Sunday, prosecutors said, he shot and gravely wounded a woman on a suburban Chicago expressway.https://t.co/owS65FOIky
— CWBChicago (@CWBChicago) May 20, 2023
According to NBC:
Multiple shots were fired into the victim’s vehicle from the suspect’s vehicle, striking the back seat passenger, according to police.
That person was taken to an area hospital with life-threatening injuries.
Mills, who was officially charged on Thursday, was arrested in 1993 on federal conspiracy charges as part of a crack cocaine conspiracy.
Due to two previous convictions of possession of less than five grams of crack cocaine, prosecutors filed a sentence enhancement, which led him to be sentenced to life in prison without parole.
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