Felons caught with firearms after Facebook Live at gun range, police say

WINTHROP HARBOR, Ill. (WLS) -- Two convicted felons who were not allowed to possess firearms were caught at a north suburban gun range after Evanston police came across a Facebook Live broadcast.

Police say members of the Evanston Police Department Intelligence Unit regularly monitor various social media outlets. On Wednesday, an investigator monitoring Facebook found an active Evanston gang member and convicted felon on parole taking part in a Facebook Live video from a Winthrop Harbor gun range, police said.

Facebook Lives are videos that users can make that post in real-time and then once completed, stay on the user's News Feed as a recording.

In the video, the investigator saw Demarcus Curtis, 25, firing a handgun, which is against the law in Illinois due to his conviction/parole status, police said.

Because the video was so new, the investigator contacted the Winthrop Harbor Police Department, which immediately responded to the shooting range and found Curtis with a second convicted felon, Nicholas Mayfield, 25, who also has ties to Evanston and was also shooting, police said.

Both men were charged by the Winthrop Harbor Police Department with one count each of aggravated unlawful use of weapon by a felon.