Suspect in Beecher shooting arrested, jailed on $5 million bond

The 57-year-old suspect in a Jan. 30 shooting in Beecher has been arrested and jailed on a $5 million bond.

About 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Mark Eugene, 57, of Olympia Fields, was booked into the Will County jail on a charge of aggravated battery in connection with the shooting of a 45-year-old man who was shot once in the torso on Jan. 30.

The man was shot in the 200 block of Woodward Street, according to a statement from Beecher Police Chief Terry Lemming. Beecher is a small village about 33 miles southeast of Joliet and close to the Indiana border.

Lemming said the Eugene and the alleged victim were acquaintances.

After an investigation, Will County Judge Jessica Colón-Sayre signed a $5 million bond warrant for Eugene’s arrest, Lemming said. The Will-Grundy Major Crimes Task Force assisted in the investigation, he said.

On Wednesday, members of the U.S. Marshals Great Lakes Regional Fugitive Force apprehended Eugene and took him to the Beecher Police Department for questioning, Lemming said.

When asked why Eugene’s bond was set at $5 million, Will County Assistant State’s Attorney Laura Byrne said Eugene is charged with aggravated battery, a Class X felony, and two counts of unlawful possession of a weapon by felon, Class 3 felonies.

“There are many factors that go into setting a bond such as the nature and circumstances of the offense charged and the defendant’s criminal history,” Byrne said.

Class X felonies are punishable by 6 to 30 years in prison and class 3 felonies can carry a penalty of up to five years in prison.