Teen paralyzed in gang shooting charged in Bartlett

An 18-year-old paralyzed last year in a gang-related shooting faces misdemeanor charges in Bartlett.

Police charged Jess T. Outlaw of Bartlett with possession of drug paraphernalia and unlawful use of a weapon/possession of firearm ammunition without a FOID. He was also charged with unlawful possession of cannabis, Bartlett police Sgt. Geoffrey Pretkelis said. Police said they arrested him around 5:30 a.m. Thursday at his home where he lives with his mother.

A gang member shot Outlaw twice on Sept. 6 near his Streamwood home, police said. The bullets paralyzed Outlaw from the waist down and he's been undergoing rehabilitation trying to walk again. He moved to Bartlett after the shooting. He and his mother have denied Outlaw had any gang affiliation.

Officers executing a search warrant found what police called a small amount of marijuana inside the home, as well as several rounds of .32-caliber ammunition and brass knuckles.

On Tuesday, Yolanda Outlaw said her son didn't know that possession of the brass knuckles and bullets were illegal. She said she didn't know why police searched her home, as her son only leaves the home to go to the doctor.

"They just assumed someone was selling drugs over here, which was not true," Yolanda Outlaw said.

Outlaw was smoking marijuana to deal with the pain from the shooting, his mother added. The September shooting broke his arm and damaged his back causing the paralysis.

Outlaw was released on a $1,000 bond and his next court date is May 18 in Wheaton.

Adolfo Perez-Arreguin, the 17-year-old Hanover Park man charged with shooting Outlaw, remains jailed on an attempted murder charge and no trial date has been set.