Woman charged with attempted murder in gang-related shooting
A 28-year-old Palatine woman was charged with attempted murder and ordered held on $1.25 million bail Monday in what authorities say was a gang-related shooting outside a Palatine motel this weekend.
Amanda Lonsfoote was initially ordered held on $1 million bail Monday after authorities say she shot a man, now in stable condition, in his chest and elbow outside a motel in the 1400 block of Dundee Road about 1:30 a.m. Saturday. However, outbursts from Lonsfoote and several spectators in the Rolling Meadows courtroom resulted in a judge increasing her bail by $250,000.
As Cook County sheriff's deputies led Lonsfoote back to the lockup, she turned and directed a loud "I love you" to people in the front row. Several people responded and Lonsfoote's raised voice could be heard from the lockup.
Cook County Judge Marc Martin ordered Lonsfoote returned to the courtroom, where he informed her that he would not hold in her contempt for her outburst but he was increasing her bail.
Prosecutors say the man who was shot and his friend were outside the motel when a black Acura with dark tinted windows drove by. The man and his friend believed the occupants were gang members who intended to smash the windows of his car, said Cook County Assistant State's Attorney Jennifer Gates.
The two men went upstairs and watched the car from a window. A person near the car flashed a gang sign to the men, who responded with a similar sign, Gates said. The men returned to the car where they encountered Lonsfoote and two other people. Gates said. After the man and his friend traded insults with Lonsfoote and her group, Lonsfoote retrieved a semi-automatic weapon from the car and began shooting, Gates said.
The man, who was shot in the elbow, ducked behind a car and then entered the motel, Gates said. After Lonsfoote and the others drove off, the man noticed he had also been shot in the chest. One bullet entered his left chest and punctured his lung, Gates said. He remains in stable condition, she said.
Surveillance video "showed the standoff but the actual gunshots are not visible," Gates said.
Lonsfoote, formerly of Elgin, told police she and the man had been members of the same gang, which he had left, prosecutors said.
According to prosecutors, Lonsfoote has 2012 felony convictions for retail theft and aggravated stalking and a 2011 conviction for communicating with or detaining a witness, all of which concluded with prison sentences. She also has misdemeanor convictions for theft and mob action, Gates said.
She next appears in court on Oct. 18.