An off-duty
Northwestern University cop is accused of firing a gun into the air while
celebrating the Fourth of July holiday on the South Side, according to Chicago
Police.
Wesley Jackson, 30, of
the 5400 block of Hyde Park Boulevard, was charged with felony reckless
discharge of a firearm, police said.
He appeared in court
today and was ordered held in lieu of $50,000 bail, said Andy Conklin, a
spokesman for the Cook County state's attorney's office.
Chicago cops responded
to the 5400 block of South Shore Drive to assist University of Chicago police
with a "man with a gun" call about 10 p.m. Wednesday and university
police told them they heard three shots and saw muzzle flashes coming from
behind a tree in the park, according to a police report.
They saw Jackson
standing, facing Lake Michigan, with a gun in his hand and he placed his hands
up and dropped the weapon when they asked him to, according to the report.
Prosecutors said that
Jackson fired several rounds across the Lake Shore Drive and toward Lake
Michigan.
A witness identified
him and during an interview with Chicago police, Jackson said he was:
"Just shooting at the lake -- it's the 4th of July and everyone is doing it,''
the report said.
He explained
repeatedly that he was intoxicated after drinking five beers and was
"f----- up,'' the report said.
Jackson was taken into
the Wentworth District police station where his supervisor identified him as a
member of their police department.
Police said no one was
injured during the incident.