Man charged with stealing gun last year from Palatine residence

A gun recovered in a March shootout with Chicago police has led to the arrest of a 20-year-old cable technician, who has been charged with stealing the weapon while working in a Palatine home.

Andre Cummings, Jr. was ordered held on $75,000 bail Friday on charges of residential burglary, a class one felony that carries a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison.

Cummings was working as a cable technician on Oct. 9, 2015, when he noticed the .40 caliber weapon in a box in a bedroom dresser, said Cook County assistant state's attorney David Shin. Cummings put the weapon in his bag and continued working, Shin said.

Cummings, an aspiring rapper, told Cook County sheriff's police he "took the gun in an instant without thinking" because he wanted to use it in a music video, Shin said. He told police the gun was stolen from his car in December, Shin said.

Chicago police recovered the gun on March 14, after a different man used it to fire at Chicago police officers, Shin said. Police subsequently shot and killed the man, he said.

Police traced the weapon back to the Palatine homeowner, who did not realize it was missing.

Cummings, who has no criminal background, next appears in court on June 3.