By JORDAN OWEN
Chicago Sun-Times Wire
Shane Eli | Chicago Police
A confrontation spurred by earlier fights led to the fatal shooting of Alex Malone on Friday in the West Garfield Park neighborhood, prosecutors said.
And now Shane Eli, 19, of the 4100 block of West Iowa, has been charged with first-degree murder, according to Chicago Police and the Cook County state’s attorney’s office.
Eli punched two rival gang members, one in the head and one in the face, during separate incidents Friday, prosecutors said at Eli’s bond hearing Tuesday.
Later that day, about 6:30 p.m., the 19-year-old Malone and a few of his friends decided to confront Eli, so they went to one of his known hangouts in the 4100 block of West Wilcox, according to prosecutors.
Eli came out of a house and fired numerous shots at Malone and his friends, who were standing on the sidewalk, prosecutors said.
Malone, of the 1600 block of South Spaulding, was shot in the head and was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital, where he died at 2:17 p.m. Saturday, according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office.
Two witnesses identified Eli as the shooter in photo arrays, prosecutors said.
Eli, who previously faced charges of fleeing, unlawful use of a weapon, and delivering cannabis near a school, was ordered held without bond in court Tuesday.