A week after being the victim of a drive-by shooting, the health of Northern Illinois linebacker Devon Butler continues to improve.
Butler was shot in the upper right back late Tuesday night, April 6, and was initially listed in critical condition. While still in intensive care, he was upgraded to serious condition following surgery.
Earlier this week, the DeKalb Daily Chronicle is reporting, Butler’s condition was once again upgraded, this time to fair. There’s no word yet on when Butler will be released from the hospital, let alone whether he will be available for the 2011 season.
Butler was visiting a friend’s apartment last week when two men allegedly drove by the complex and fired shots from a 9mm into the building, striking the linebacker once. The shooting allegedly stemmed from a drug deal gone bad earlier in the day. Police have stressed on multiple occasions that they believe Butler had nothing to do with the deal; instead, police believe Butler’s friend received drugs from at least one of the suspects without rendering payment.
Two suspects -- NIU students Mark O. Orozco, 24, and Richard F. Van Arsdale III, 20 -- are in custody and remain jailed on $1 million bonds. An attorney for one of the suspects requested that bail be reduced to $50,000. That request was denied, in part, due to a series of text messages recovered during the course of the investigation and presented to the court by DeKalb County prosecutor Phil Montgomery.“I should go shoot that place up,” Montgomery said was a text message sent from Orozco to Van Arsdale prior to the shooting.
“I’ll drive,” Van Arsdale responded in a text, according to Montgomery.
After the shooting, Montgomery said Orozco sent a text to one of the people who had reportedly stolen drugs from him earlier in the day, saying that person had 16 hours to get him the money owed him.
“Los Zetos want their money or your heads off,” Montgomery said the text read.Orozco is believed to be the shooter, although both individuals have been charged with attempted first-degree murder and aggravated battery with a firearm.