RACINE — A call to police for shots fired earlier this spring eventually led authorities to a 17-year-old Racine man, who now faces two felony charges.
Roland Harris is charged with felony counts of first-degree recklessly endangering safety and possession of a firearm by an adjudicated delinquent, which carry a possible total prison term of 22 years, six months and a $50,000 fine.
Harris remains in custody in the Racine County Jail on a $25,000 cash bond.
The criminal complaint: shots fired reported near 22nd and Howe
Multiple officers from the Mount Pleasant Police Department responded to a shots fired report on April 12 to the area of 22nd and Howe streets after a caller advised they heard between 15 and 20 gunshots. Officers later found 37 shell casings from three different firearms in the alley alongside the grass and walkway on the north side of the building.
Police spoke to a woman, who said she didn’t witness the shooting but had observed a large group of people gathered around the Mead Street Market just before. Video footage showed “many members” of the “Dirty P” gang in front of the mart who were playing dice and loitering, the complaint states.
At one point, three individuals are seen firing weapons behind the mart, but officers were uncertain what or who they were firing at. Three men were seen exiting a red Dodge Avenger, followed by three others, including the defendant, who were dropped off from a Buick Encore SUV.
As the footage continued, something happened off-camera that caused a group in front of the store to scatter. One minute later, Harris was seen showing that he had a firearm. At 11:23, Harris and three others, with three of them holding handguns, appeared to be focused on a white four-door sedan.
Shortly after, the footage shows a number of individuals, including Harris, appear to fire shots in a number of different directions. Police reported that “none of (the individuals) appeared to have any control of their weapons while firing dozens of rounds” while vehicle traffic was present on 22nd Street in the vicinity of a number of occupied homes.
At the time of the shots fired report, court records show that Harris was under juvenile supervision. He has a previous conviction as an adjudicated juvenile for possession with intent to deliver THC on Jan. 23 of this year. That conviction would have been a felony had he been found guilty as an adult, court records show.
Harris is due back in Racine County Circuit Court on Aug. 16, for an 8:30 a.m. preliminary hearing.
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