Police: Carpentersville gang member shot at 5 people

An admitted gang member from Carpentersville shot at five people in two separate vehicles Wednesday night, police said.

While Abraham Barajas, 22, of the 0-100 block of Wren Road, missed all of his targets, some of the bullets hit one of the intended victim's Chrysler Concord, damaging its drivers side rear door and shattering its window, police said.

It is not known whether Barajas was on foot, on a bike or in another vehicle when the shootings occurred, Cmdr. Timothy Bosshart said Thursday.

At 10:55 p.m. Wednesday police responded to 64 Birch Street on a call of shots fired. They found Barajas outside, and he told officers he'd heard the shots and had ridden his bike to the scene to check on his friend, Bosshart said.

Officers later determined Barajas fired several shots at the Concord and a Volkswagen, Bosshart said, and are investigating it as a gang-related shooting.

The targets — four men and one woman — said they knew Barajas and he fired several shots at them as they drove past, Bosshart said.

Barajas was charged with five counts of attempted first-degree murder, two counts of aggravated discharge of a firearm at a vehicle, two counts of aggravated discharge of a firearm — one without a FOID card and the other with an active order of protection — and one count of criminal damage to property over $300, police said.

It was not Barajas' first brush with the law.

According to court records, Barajas, 22, was arrested in August 2006 by Carpentersville police and charged with misdemeanor domestic battery. He pleaded guilty that October and was sentenced to 12 months probation, which he completed satisfactorily.

Barajas was arrested in November 2006 by Carpentersville police and charged with interfering with the reporting of a domestic battery, but the charges were dropped in April 2007, according to court records. He also has several minor traffic violations.

A judge set bail Thursday at $750,000, and Barajas would need $75,000 to get out of jail while his case is pending. He was being held at the Kane County jail. His next court date is July 28.

If found guilty of the attempted murder or the vehicular firearm charges, he could spend between 6 and 30 years in prison. Probation is not allowed.

Y Daily Herald staff writer Harry Hitzeman contributed to this story.