Man Arrested, Charged in Cab Driver Shooting

Police have arrested a 19-year-old man who they say in Evanston on May 15.

Police said Darien Lawrence Marquez Connerly of Chicago has confessed to attempting to rob the cab driver and shooting him once in the head.

Connerly flagged down the taxi in the area of Ridge Ave. and Howard St. on the night of May 15, police said, and requested to go to the 500 block of Elmwood Ave.

When the cab arrived at the location, police said Connerly asked the driver to stop, opened the rear driver side door, partially exited, and then pulled out a 25 Cal. semi-automatic handgun and said he was going to rob the driver.

The driver, Leodis Blackburn, attempted to drive away, but Connerly shot him once in the head, striking just above his left ear.

"The shot to the head incapacitated Mr. Blackburn, whose taxi continued south bound in the 500 block of Elmwood striking parked cars, then coming to a rest," said Police Cmdr. Tom Guenther at a press conference Monday.

Connerly then fled the scene on foot. .

The Evanston Police Department and the North Regional Major Crimes Task Force investigated the shooting, and received an anonymous tip that they say led to Connerly's arrest.

Police said they also reviewed surveillance video from police cameras in the area and have footage of Connerly entering the cab just prior to the incident.

Working with NORTAF, the EPD tracked down Connerly in Chicago and arrested him Saturday. Although he lived in the city, police said he was likely visiting an acquaintance in Evanston.

Connerly has been charged with one felony count of armed robbery and one felony count of first degree murder. At the time of the shooting he was on parole for a previous aggravated robbery case. His court date has been set for June 21 in Skokie.