This story has been updated with new information about the defendant’s bond.

An Evanston man was arrested and charged with first-degree murder and two counts of attempted murder in connection with the fatal April 12 shooting at Clark Street Beach, the Evanston Police Department announced Saturday.

City of Evanston vehicles block Clark Street at Judson Avenue on April 12 after the shooting at Clark Street Beach. Credit: Alex Harrison

EPD arrested Jalen Murray, 20, in Evanston on Friday. Murray is accused of shooting and killing 18-year-old Jacquis Irby and wounding Irby’s two 15-year-old brothers. The police news release states the investigation found that the shooting began as a verbal altercation between two groups of people outside the beach entrance.

“The altercation escalated with at least one offender firing a handgun into the group containing the victims,” the news release states. “After the shooting, the offenders immediately fled the area.” Police initially said there appeared to be at least two suspects in the case.

Murray appeared in Central Bond Court at the Leighton Criminal Courthouse at 26th Street and California Avenue in Chicago on Saturday. According to the Cook County Sheriff’s Office’s website, Murray’s bond is set at $750,000, and his next hearing is scheduled for Tuesday at 9 a.m. at the Skokie Courthouse.

The announcement comes 17 days after the shooting, and four days after Evanston/Skokie School District 65 held a public “healing space” to grieve and help process trauma from the fatal shooting of Irby, son of former District 65 school board Vice President Marquise Weatherspoon.

Mayor Daniel Biss released a letter to the public in response to the shooting, which he called “a senseless outbreak of violence, resulting in the loss of life and ripples of pain across our community.”

Alex Harrison

Alex Harrison joined the RoundTable in 2022 for the summer in between his undergraduate and graduate studies at Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism. Since then, he continues to write...

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  1. Question: Is the deceased “Jacquis”
    Irby the same person as “Jacques”
    Irby who had gun arrests at Old Orchard and in Evanston?

    Reply

    1. Yes, same person. It’s Jacquis with an “i.” Unfortunately, yet another person who had prior gun incidents that ultimately succumbed to gun violence. So sad. Jacquis and his brothers weren’t random bystanders in this incident as clearly it was a targeted fight/attack, but that doesn’t make it acceptable. The man arrested attended ETHS (played football there) and the deceased/injured all have connections to Evanston schools.

      Reply