A man was in court Wednesday accused of false reporting of a crime and several other felonies after a shooting that injured a 3-year-old boy and the man on Sunday on the South Side, police said.
Michael Howard-Owens, 23, was charged with disorderly conduct for falsely reporting a crime, reckless discharge of a gun, reckless conduct that caused great bodily harm, and unlawful use of a weapon by a felon, according to Officer Michelle Tannehill, a spokesperson for Chicago police.
Howard-Owens, of the 800 block of West Grace Street on the city’s North Side, appeared before Cook County Judge Maryam Ahmad, who ordered him held. He is due back in court on Jan. 25, court records show.
Around noon in the 6600 block of South Stewart Avenue on Sunday, Howard-Owens was “handling” a gun when it discharged, hitting him in the leg and the 3-year-old boy in the right foot, according to Tannehill.
The boy was taken to Comer Children’s Hospital where he was listed in fair condition. Howard-Owens was taken to Thorek Hospital in good condition.
Originally, Howard-Owens told police he was on a sidewalk in the 6000 block of South Stewart Avenue when an “unknown offender” approached and shot him in the leg.
Area 3 detectives are investigating.
