Remember the scene from Pulp Fiction where John Travolta’s character inadvertently shoots and kills his rear-seat passenger? Well, the long arm of the law finally caught up with and convicted a Chicago man for doing something like that in America’s murder capital back in December 2020. A judge gave him all of 12 years for doing Darwin’s work.
A Cook County court found Quincy Cole, 29, guilty of murdering his passenger while trying to shoot another motorist. Cole, likely armed with a switch-equipped GLOCK, fired a string of shots at a 68-year-old senior citizen in another vehicle as both were stopped at a traffic light.
Reports didn’t indicate what the old fella did to Mr. Cole’s ire. However, when the senior citizen saw the rear passenger window go down in the car next to him, he kept watching. When he saw the gun, he ducked.
Meanwhile, Roderick James, 19, was riding in the rear passenger seat of Cole’s car. Instead of ducking, he fired at the old man’s car too. At least three times, before he took four in the chest from Mr. Cole, the accuracy-challenged driver.
When the dust settled, it became evident that James managed to soak up four rounds to his chest before dying on the scene. The targeted motorist escaped uninjured, however his car’s finish had some fresh blemishes that just won’t buff out.
CWB Chicago has the details . . .
A West Side man has pleaded guilty to unintentionally killing his back seat passenger while trying to shoot another driver in December 2020, according to court records.
Quincy Cole, 29, was on bail for a pending arson case when he unintentionally shot 19-year-old Roderick James in the chest four times, officials said. He was found guilty in the arson case last April and received a six-year sentence. Chicago police records show detectives wanted to charge him with murder in the arson matter, but prosecutors rejected their request.
Prosecutors said Cole was driving a car with four additional passengers when another driver pulled up on their right side at a red light near the intersection of Bloomington and Laramie on December 6, 2020. …
Cole pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of second-degree murder on February 16, according to court records. Judge Burns gave him a 12-year sentence with 1,164 days of credit earned in jail.
Prison sentences in Illinois are kind of like dog-years, only in reverse. With the reduction for time served and other credits, Chicago’s most eligible bachelor Mr. Cole will probably return to the dating scene in Chicago before Christmas of 2025.
The moral of the story? Always maintain situational awareness. Lastly, if traveling on the streets of America’s largest open-air shooting gallery, be polite to everyone, but have a plan to escape…and shoot back if things really go sideways.
2 Responses
Poor Marvin… 🙁
Dan, does SNW have an e-mail addy for submissions, or just general contact?
Instead of getting credit for time served, they will be throwing the book at him with gun possession by prohibited person, right? Pretty sure there was a concealed carry or FOID violation too. If it was a Glock switch he will get the mandatory ten years extra plus hundred thousand fine, right?
What about the attempted murder charges for trying to kill the older guy? Do we really want to see what his next crimes/murders are in 5-9 years? The judge and prosecutor will be on the hook if he re-offends right?