Kendall County Sheriff: Boulder Hill shooting that left one dead was gang-related

The intended target of a recent shooting in the unincorporated Boulder Hill subdivision survived the drive-by attack that killed one woman and left another gravely injured, Kendall County Sheriff Dwight Baird has confirmed.

At a remote meeting of the Boulder Hill Neighborhood Watch on Tuesday evening, Nov. 17, Baird revealed further details of the shooting and subsequent investigation, including the murder weapon and inter-law enforcement intelligence that led to charges being filed against two suspects.

"I can tell you that it was gang-related," Baird said. "The intended target was at the house at the time of the shooting, though was not injured."

Shortly after 11 a.m. last Wednesday, Nov. 11, assailants allegedly shot an AR-15 assault rifle from a black SUV into a residence in the 70th block of Sierra Road. Bullets struck two women: one in her 40s who was pronounced dead at the hospital, and another in her 20s who remains in critical condition.

The Kendall County State's Attorney's has since charged two men, James Brown Jr., 26, of North Aurora, and Jaquarance Handley, 31, of Joliet, with one count each of first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder, aggravated battery with a firearm and aggravated discharge of a firearm. All of the charges are felonies. Both suspects have been in custody since Nov. 11 at the Kendall County Jail in Yorkville. Bond for each suspect was set at $2 million.

Through images provided by residents, law enforcement matched the black SUV with a vehicle recorded on streets cameras in Aurora. Further intelligence provided by the Kendall County Criminal Intelligence Team linked one of the suspects to two previous shootings in Aurora within the last month.

After seizing two vehicles linked to the assailants, law enforcement recovered an AR-15 that was matched to the shooting by an ATF facility in Aurora.

Within two hours of the shooting itself, the Sheriff's Office had detained three individuals, charging two of them on Saturday with four felonies stemming from the shooting.

In total, eight separate law enforcement agencies were involved in the investigation: Aurora, Montgomery, Oswego, Plano and Yorkville police, the Sheriff's Office, the Illinois State Police and the ATF.

Despite the wide-ranging police work, Baird commended local residents for providing evidence that helped find the assailants.

"Boulder Hill is a breathing and thriving community that is very proud," Baird said. "They worked with us and shared information with us and that's really how this was solved, because the public works with us."

Looking forward, State Rep. Mark Batinick and Kendall County Board Member Robyn Vickers pledged to work for a "carve-out" in state legislation on new housing policy in Boulder Hill specifically. The potential amendment would require housing background checks in the area and create more liability for landlords whose tenants commit crimes.