Streator man charged in shooting to argue self-defense

Prosecutors said Alex Brown had no justification for firing a shot that injured a man in Streator. Now, Brown hopes to persuade a jury that he acted in self-defense.

Brown, 25, of Streator, appeared Thursday in La Salle County Circuit Court, where his attorney disclosed their intent to argue an affirmative defense. Brown faces up to 30 years in prison if convicted of aggravated battery with a firearm, but he now says that he acted in self-defense and out of necessity.

Chief Judge H. Chris Ryan Jr. scheduled a Sept. 9 jury trial. Brown will appear Sept. 5 for a final pretrial conference.

Brown was charged after an investigation launched April 13, 2023, at a residence in the 600 block of East Kent Street in Streator. There, officers found a 27-year-old man in the residence with a gunshot wound to his lower body. The victim survived.

Brown, initially acting as his own lawyer, entered a not-guilty plea and requested a jury trial in summer 2023. Before trial, Brown announced that he’d seek private counsel and later retained an attorney who successfully argued for his release under the SAFE-T Act.

Since then, Brown has changed lawyers and switched his trial strategy. Ottawa attorney Timothy Kohn now represents Brown and advised prosecutors that he’ll argue that, yes, Brown fired the shot, but he had justification for doing so.