From The Chicago Tribune
By Jason Meisner
at 1:52 PM, August 9th,2011
at 1:52 PM, August 9th,2011
Prosecutors: 3 teens killed Rogers Park man in murder-for-hire scheme
Three teenagers charged in a shotgun slaying in the Rogers Park neighborhood over the weekend had agreed to kill a rival gang member after being offered cash, prosecutors said today.
Three teenagers charged in a shotgun slaying in the Rogers Park neighborhood over the weekend had agreed to kill a rival gang member after being offered cash, prosecutors said today.
Dyshawn Brown, 16, Devonte Lamb, 17, and Desmond Smart, 15, were each charged as adults with first-degree murder in the slaying early Sunday of Lawrence Wilson, 23. Wilson’s mother, Jennifer Francis, said outside court that her son, an Evanston Township High School graduate, worked as a youth mentor with a group called TRIBE, or Total Resources Involved in Benefiting Everyone. The group confirmed his employment.
“He had some problems in the past, but he was not a gang member,” said a tearful Francis. “He wanted to keep people away from that life.”
Prosecutors said a still-uncharged co-conspirator offered the three cash to kill a member of the rival Gangster Disciples and gave Brown a sawed-off shotgun.
“He had some problems in the past, but he was not a gang member,” said a tearful Francis. “He wanted to keep people away from that life.”
Prosecutors said a still-uncharged co-conspirator offered the three cash to kill a member of the rival Gangster Disciples and gave Brown a sawed-off shotgun.
After engaging Wilson in conversation in the 1500 block of West Jonquil Terrace, Lamb waved him over to a building where Brown was hiding, prosecutors said.
“The victim rode his bike up to the defendants, and (Brown) walked out from behind the building, pulled out the shotgun and fired it at the victim, striking him in the chest,” said Assistant State’s Attorney Jamie Santini. Wilson was taken to St. Francis Hospital in Evanston, where he was declared dead a short time later.
Police found the shotgun while canvassing the area and arresting Smart inside his apartment in the7600 block of North Greenview Avenue, Santini said. All three defendants attend Wells Community Academy in Chicago, according to a court-appointed defense attorney.
Police found the shotgun while canvassing the area and arresting Smart inside his apartment in the7600 block of North Greenview Avenue, Santini said. All three defendants attend Wells Community Academy in Chicago, according to a court-appointed defense attorney.
Judge Adam Bourgeois Jr. denied bail for Brown and set bonds of $1 million each for Lamb and Smart.
chicagobreaking@tribune.com
From SUN-TIMES MEDIA WIRE
August 9, 2011 7:34AM
Three teenage boys were charged Monday afternoon with the gang-related murder of a 23-year-old man in the North Side Rogers Park neighborhood.
The identities of the juveniles were not released, but the 15-year-old, 16-year-old and 17-year-old boys were charged with one count each of first-degree murder in connection with a fatal shooting early Sunday, according to police News Affairs Officer Laura Kubiak. Officers found a man shot at 12:48 a.m. in the chest lying on a sidewalk in the 1500 block of West Jonquil Terrace, police said. Lawrence Wilson, 23, of the 1500 block of West Juneway Terrace, was taken to Saint Francis Hospital in Evanston where he died, according to Kubiak.
The Cook County Medical Examiner’s office could not confirm his identity Tuesday morning, but said a man shot at the West Jonquil Terrace address was pronounced dead at the hospital 1:49 a.m. Wilson was shot once with a shotgun, Kubiak said. The shooting is gang-related.
4 comments:
'Kudos and hats off' to the Belmont Area Homicide Detectives and 24th District Officers who were involved in getting these 3 "gang-bangers" off our streets.
BTW...The Sun-Times use of the term "teenage boys" to describe these alleged 'killers' really gets me. They may be teenagers but they are not 'boys' in the conventional sense. They are 'young men' who have obviously made very bad choices to get where they are now (like use a shotgun to murder a fellow human being) and will likely spend the rest of their lives behind bars as a result... to the relief of the neighborhood.
Thanks for the update, Mike! The first report I saw in Trib's Breaking News (http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/chi-1-shot-dead-in-chicago-lawn-area-20110806,0,7201860.story) indicated the victim was in his 50s, which struck me as highly unusual. The latest report now cites the victim's age as 23.
I'm glad to hear the teens were apprehended so quickly. But what I want to know is "who did the hiring"?
I live a block away from where the shooting occurred. Although there's been a lot of firecrackers and cherry bombs going off this summer, I haven't heard any gunshots for quite a while. Tragic.
PhoebeK10,
It's my understanding that the authorities know "who did the hiring" and that they are 'on his trail'.
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