A Hammond man is facing charges for killing a bystander buying a couple of sodas inside an East Chicago gas station, documents allege.
Court records show Maurice Berry, 20, was targeting someone else, his ex-girlfriend’s boyfriend.
He was charged on April 3 with murder in the March 30 shooting death of Javier “Campa” Olvera, 49, of East Chicago.
Berry is also charged with attempted murder, aggravated battery, operating a loaded machine gun, possession of a machine gun and misdemeanor theft.
He is jailed in Chicago, awaiting extradition to Lake County. He is ordered held without bail.
East Chicago Police responded around 8 p.m. March 30 to a BP gas station, 4502 Indianapolis Blvd. Olvera was lying on the ground. He died of multiple gunshots, according to the Lake County Coroner’s Office. Another man — Berry’s target — was shot in the arm and taken to the hospital.
Officers found a dozen .40-caliber bullet casings.
A witness heard multiple gunshots inside.
Surveillance video showed Berry pull up in a black Chevy Trailblazer, then go inside holding a concealed object in his hand.
Olvera was already in line. The other man — who was later wounded — walked inside and “looked at Berry.” On camera, the man and Berry appeared to exchange words.
Berry shoots at the man. Olvera dropped to the floor “immediately.”
Berry fled in the Trailblazer. The shots were fired within two seconds, leading police to believe the handgun was modified to fire automatically with a switch.
The other man at first claimed Berry “thought he was someone else,” before admitting their connection. He was there to buy a cigar, he said.
The man said he had a gun but didn’t fire it at Berry. The bullet broke the other man’s upper arm with bullet fragments hitting his chest.
Berry sported a mustache and had a crown tattoo near his left eye, according to court documents.
Olvera worked for 18 years as a forklift driver at Hammond’s Pacmoore Products, according to his obituary. He loved his family and his favorite sports teams — the Los Angeles Dodgers, Liverpool FC and Club America.
He also loved riding bikes and Mexican music.
mcolias@post-trib.com
