Quincy man pleads not guilty to aggravated discharge of firearm in connection to Nov. 1 shooting incident near Sixth and Chestnut

QUINCY — A Quincy man who allegedly exchanged gunfire earlier this month while in a car on the city’s northwest side pled not guilty Tuesday morning.

Chaeto Nichols, 18, was arraigned in Adams County Circuit Court by Judge Amy Lannerd. Nichols appeared with public defender Christopher Pratt. 

The case was placed on the March 13 jury docket.

Officers with the Quincy Police Department responded to the area of Sixth and Chestnut on Nov. 1 for a reported shooting. Initial witness information indicated people in two vehicles were exchanging gunfire — one person was shooting through the sunroof of one of the vehicles — while traveling north on Sixth Street from Chestnut. 

Evidence found at the scene appeared to confirm that information. Investigators estimated more than 30 rounds were fired during the incident from at least two firearms (handguns).

Nichols was arrested Nov. 2 near Ninth and Lind and charged with aggravated discharge of a firearm, a Class 1 felony. He faces a sentencing range of between four and 15 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections if found guilty.

He remains lodged in the Adams County Jail. His original bond was $500,000, but it was increased to $1 million on Nov. 3.

An Adams County grand jury indicted Nichols on Nov. 17, determining that he knowingly discharged a firearm at a vehicle, knowing the vehicle to be occupied.

Nichols also has been charged with threatening a public official, a Class 3 felony, and obstructing a police officer, a Class A misdemeanor, in an Oct. 29 incident unrelated to the Nov. 1 incident. He faces a sentencing range for 2-5 years in the Illinois Department corrections for the Class 3 felony and up to 364 days in the Adams County Jail for the misdemeanor.

An Adams County grand jury indicted Nichols on Nov. 17, determining that he told Det. Kristopher Billingsley of the Quincy Police Department to wait until the handcuffs were off of him and that he would “beat the f**k out of you.” The grand jury also determined he said to Billingsley, “Bet y’all won’t take the cuffs off, take out a fun and beat the f**k out of you, nigga,” and that Nichols interfered with his own arrest and refused to follow the commands from Billingsley.

Bond in those cases was set at $3,000 in the two cases. Nichols posted $300 and was released Oct. 31.