Man Gets 48 Years In Willowbrook Shooting Of Pregnant Woman

WILLOWBROOK, IL – A man who shot a pregnant woman on Route 83 in Willowbrook nearly four years ago was sentenced last week to 48 years in prison, authorities said.

DuPage County Judge Daniel Guerin handed down the sentence to Lawrence Grant, 42, of Chicago, for shooting the woman, who was eight months pregnant.

In May, a jury found Grant guilty of attempted first-degree murder, aggravated battery with a firearm and aggravated discharge of a firearm.

He has been in the DuPage County Jail since his arrest.

The woman, who was shot in the back, was taken to a local hospital, where her baby was delivered while she was in surgery, according to the DuPage County State's Attorney's Office.

In the early evening of Jan. 28, 2022, Grant, the woman and another person got into an argument that turned physical at Whole Foods, 6300 Kingery Highway, police said. They all left in different cars.

Heading south on Route 83, Grant followed the woman and fired shots at her, causing her to crash, prosecutors said.

About three hours later, Grant was found at the University of Chicago Medical Center in Chicago, where he was admitted for an unrelated matter, police said.

The car he was driving was discovered on fire about a block from the hospital, police said. Grant was immediately taken into custody upon his release from the hospital.

The mother and baby survived.

"After having his advances rejected by the victim and turning a verbal altercation with the victim's boyfriend physical, Mr. Grant continued to escalate the matter with nearly fatal consequences," DuPage County State's Attorney Robert Berlin said in a news release.

Grant will be required to serve 85 percent of his sentence before being eligible for parole, prosecutors said.

That works out to 37 years, if credit is given for time served in jail. At that point, Grant will be 79.