Man who tried to sell gun to teen later killed by police pleads guilty
A Lindenhurst man admitted to trying to illegally sell a gun to a teen who was later shot and killed by police in Zion.
Tramond Peet, 18, pleaded guilty to one count of unlawful use of a weapon and he was sentenced to 24 months of probation, 150 public service hours, and 48 days in Lake County jail for his role in the illegal gun sale, said Cynthia Vargas, communication manager for the Lake County State's Attorney's Office.
The jail time was considered served because of the time Peet spent in jail while waiting for the case to go to trial, Vargas said.
Had Peet been found guilty at trial, he could have been sentenced up to one year in prison, Vargas said. The charge is also probationable, she said.
Peet was charged with aggravated unlawful use of a weapon for trying to sell a gun to 17-year-old Justus Howell of Waukegan, minutes before Howell was shot and killed by a veteran Zion police officer after a foot chase April 4, according to police.
Peet and Howell met at a Zion grocery store and went to an alley near Gilead Avenue for the gun sale, authorities said, but a fight broke out after Howell tried to take the weapon from Peet.
Authorities said the gun - a silver Kimber 9 mm handgun - was stolen from a house in Lake Villa.
The gun discharged during the fight and the shot was heard by a neighbor who phoned police. Howell ran from the alley when police arrived, authorities said.
Peet was shot twice in the back at Gilead Avenue and 24th Street when police said he seemed to point the weapon at an officer.
Lake County State's Attorney Michael Nerheim determined the shooting by the police officer was justified because video showed Howell attempted to turn and shoot at an officer during the foot chase.
The decision sparked some protests around the Lake County government building in Waukegan.