The latest man was charged Wednesday in a fatal gang-related shooting outside a Sept. 25, 2022, birthday party at a Hammond bar.
Daquan Pierce, 30, of Chicago, is charged with murder and three counts of attempted murder. Court records show he is being held in Illinois.
Hammond police were called around 1:40 a.m. to a report of shots fired at a private party at the Serenity Lounge, located in the 6200 block of Kennedy Avenue.
Officers found Brian Leonard, 29, of Chicago, and three others nearby shot “several” times, according to the charges. Leonard was pronounced dead at 2:45 a.m. at the hospital, according to the Lake County Coroner’s Office. His death was ruled a homicide.
Five men were involved in legal proceedings – four who were in a vehicle and one at the party.
Court records allege Pierce was a mole at the party for co-defendant Joseph Odell Smith, the alleged ringleader. The shooting appeared to be aimed at one of the injured men.
Pierce texted Smith days later and said he had not received the money he was promised, the release states.
Four men are charged in connection with the shooting in public records: Smith, Pierce, Cordero Miller and Marcus Mathis. Charges for a fifth man could not be located Thursday.