Kendall County Sheriff: assailants in Boulder Hill shooting used assault rifle

Kendall County Sheriff Dwight Baird confirmed Tuesday morning, Nov. 17, that assailants used an assault rifle in a Nov. 11 shooting in the unincorporated Boulder Hill subdivision that left one woman dead and another injured.

In statements to the county board, Baird briefed local officials on new details related to the shooting and subsequent investigation, including gang intelligence reports that led to the arrest of two suspects.

"This is the first time we've seen this type of shooting involving an assault rifle," Baird told the board. "It's traditionally been a handgun."

Shots rang out in the drive-by shooting shortly after 11 a.m. last Wednesday on the 0-99 block of Sierra Road in Boulder Hill.

One of the victims, a woman in her 40s, was transported to an area hospital where she was later pronounced dead. A second woman, in her 20s, also was transported to an area hospital and is continuing to receive medical treatment, according to the sheriff's office.

In two hours, the sheriff's office had detained two suspects.

"A two-hour turnaround for the detaining of two individuals who were involved in a homicide is absolutely good police work," Baird told the board.

By Saturday, Nov. 14, the Kendall County State's Attorney's Office had charged two men, James Brown Jr., 26, of North Aurora, and Jaquarance Handley, 31, of Joliet, each with four felony charges linked to the shooting.

Baird said gang-related intelligence from neighboring law enforcement agencies showed that one of the suspects was allegedly involved in two separate shootings within the past month. Based on intelligence, Baird confirmed that last week's shooting was connected to an undefined "dispute" that's "been going on for a while."

Because of increased gang violence in Aurora, Baird added that the Kendall County Sheriff's Office's four-person gang activity unit had "up-to-date" intelligence that helped lead to the arrest of Brown and Handley.

Baird also commended neighbors who lived close to the shooting for providing law enforcement with camera feed and still photos of a black SUV reportedly driven by the assailants.

"This is an example of where the technology was able to help us apprehend subjects quickly," Baird said.

To combat future gang activity, Baird urged residents to contact the sheriff's office with any images, descriptions or license plates.

"Sometimes there's reluctance to report activity because of repercussions," Baird acknowledged. "However, it can remain anonymous. ... They can email us. There's a lot of different ways they can get that information to us."