Corey Morgan | Homicide Watch Chicago

Gang member charged with slaying of Tracey Morgan, which prosecutors say led to fatal shooting of Tyshawn Lee

Jeff Mayes — Mon, 03 Oct 2016 12:50:21 -0500

By RUMMANA HUSSAIN
Chicago Sun-Times

Khalil Yameen | Chicago Police

A reputed member of a faction of the Gangster Disciples street gang, Khalil Yameen, has been charged in the deadly gang-related shooting of Tracey Morgan, who led to the execution-stye murder of 9-year-old Tyshawn Lee, Cook County prosecutors claim.

After Yameen and another man killed Tracey Morgan and wounded Morgan’s mother in 2015, Morgan’s brother, Corey, sought revenge. Enraged that his brother was killed and his “mama was shot” as part of a feud between rival gangs, Corey Morgan proclaimed that “he was going to kill grandmas, mamas, kids and all,” according to prosecutors.

Corey Morgan and two fellow members of his gang lured Tyshawn from Dawes Park and into a nearby alley last Nov. 2 by promising to buy the boy candy. One of those men shot Tyshawn in the head, according to prosecutors.

Authorities believe Tyshawn was targeted as part of the ongoing gang war.

Tracey Morgan | Facebook

The Morgan brothers — members of a gang called Bang Bang Terrordome, a faction of the Black P Stones — had been feuding with the Gangster Disciples faction that includes both Yameen and Tyshawn’s father, Pierre Stokes.

Tyshawn’s murder, therefore, was meant to avenge the earlier killing of Tracey Morgan.

Tracey Morgan, 25, was killed last Oct. 13 as he was being driven home by his mother after he had left a police-sponsored meeting of parolees whose goal was to resolve gang conflicts in the area. During the car ride, Morgan’s mother, then 56, noticed that they were being followed by a silver sedan that had been parked outside the meeting, Assistant State’s Attorney Jamie Santini said.

As they headed toward Lafayette and 83rd, the car passed them on the left, then cut in front of them and stopped, Santini said. Meanwhile, another vehicle stopped behind the mother and son, boxing them in.

That’s when Yameen and another gunman got out of the stopped cars, came up to the Morgans’ vehicle and pumped 15 rounds into it.

Amari Brown | photo provided

Tyshawn Lee | photo provided

Tracey Morgan was shot 11 times. Although his mother suffered a gunshot wound to the arm, she managed to drive to a nearby gas station and call for help.

Tyshawn was killed a few days later, on Nov. 2.

Yameen, 23, admitted his role in Tracey Morgan’s slaying to another person, and has been recorded saying that he was armed and at the murder scene.

Cellphone tower records also show Yameen’s mobile phone at the site of the parole meeting Tracey Morgan had attended — as well as calls made between Yameen and the second shooter just before the murder, Santini said.

Judge James Brown on Thursday ordered Yameen, of the 7000 block of South Maplewood, held without bond.

Corey Morgan, Dwright Boone-Doty, and Kevin Edwards — the alleged getaway driver — are all in the Cook County Jail, awaiting trial in Tyshawn's murder.

Tyshawn’s father, Stokes, was held without bond in March after he was charged with shooting three people in the Gresham neighborhood. One of those victims is the girlfriend of one of the men suspected of killing his son.

Judge says killing of 9-year-old Tyshawn Lee 'shocked the nation,' orders alleged getaway driver held without bond

Jeff Mayes — Thu, 19 May 2016 15:12:13 -0500

By RUMMANA HUSSAIN
Chicago Sun-Times

Kevin Edwards | Chicago Police

The alleged getaway driver connected to the fatal shooting of 9-year-old Tyshawn Lee was ordered held without bond on Wednesday.

Kevin Edwards was the third suspect to be charged, effectively closing the case that Cook County Judge James Brown said “shocked the city to its core.”

“Actually, it shocked the nation … that a 9-year-old boy could be executed while playing basketball because he was related to a gang member,” the judge added.

Edwards, of the 10600 block of South Green Street, has always been enrolled in special education classes, Assistant Public Defender Kathryn Lisco told Brown.

Given his “minimal mental faculties,” he could not come up with such a deadly plot, Lisco argued as the 23-year-old Edwards stood in a gray sweatshirt, and black and red pajama pants.

Tyshawn Lee | photo provided

But Edwards, a member of the Bang Bang Gang Terrordome faction of the Black P-Stones, had threatened to retaliate in a shooting that killed his co-defendant’s brother, Assistant State’s Attorney Jamie Santini said.

He allegedly said those who killed 25-year-old Tracey Morgan on Oct. 13 “tweaked and everybody must die.”

Police have said Tyshawn was killed in retaliation for the murder of Morgan, killed after he left a police-sponsored meeting of parolees whose goal was to resolve gang conflicts in the area.

Dwright Boone-Doty | Chicago Police

Pierre Stokes, Tyshawn’s father, allegedly belongs to a faction of the rival Gangster Disciples.

The alleged gunman, 22-year-old Dwright Boone-Doty; and Morgan’s brother, 27-year-old Corey Morgan, have already been charged with the murder and are being held without bail at Cook County Jail.

A car Edwards was in was stopped for a traffic violation downstate over the weekend and he was arrested for resisting arrest and obstructing a peace officer, according to the Vermilion County sheriff’s office.

Edwards jumped out of the car and took off running before he was caught a block away, Santini said. He gave the arresting officer a false name. Edwards was held at the jail in Danville before he was transferred to Chicago.

A first-degree murder warrant had been out for Edwards since about four weeks after Tyshawn’s slaying on Nov. 2, 2015.

Corey Morgan | Chicago Police

Authorities have said Tyshawn was lured into an alley and killed execution-style in the 8000 block of South Damen in the Auburn Gresham neighborhood. Boone-Doty offered to take the boy to a store for candy and walked him down the alley before shooting him repeatedly at close range, prosecutors allege.

Witnesses said they saw Edwards’ dark-colored SUV follow Tyshawn and Boone-Doty into the alley, Santini said.

After the shooting, Boone-Doty jumped into the van, which the murder suspects later wiped down with cleaning products, Santini said.

The internal global positioning system was reset and the SUV was abandoned.

But police were able to retrieve the GPS data, which showed that Edwards’ SUV was parked in and around Dawes Park at the time of Tyshawn’s murder, Santini said.

Third man wanted in connection with murder of Tyshawn Lee captured in downstate Danville

Jeff Mayes — Mon, 16 May 2016 13:35:58 -0500

By MITCHELL ARMENTROUT
Chicago Sun-Times Wire

Kevin Edwards | Chicago Police

The third man wanted in connection with the fatal shooting of 9-year-old Tyshawn Lee in November was arrested in downstate Danville over the weekend.

Kevin Edwards, 22, was stopped for a traffic violation Saturday night and arrested for resisting arrest and obstructing a peace officer, according to the Vermilion County sheriff’s office.

He was being held at the jail in Danville on Monday morning and had been questioned by Chicago Police detectives, sheriff’s officers said.

Chicago Police are coordinating with the sheriff’s office to get Edwards back to Chicago to answer for his involvement in the murder of Tyshawn, department spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said.

Dwright Boone-Doty | Chicago Police

“Mr. Edwards, and his associates, Dwright Boone-Doty and Corey Morgan, committed one of the most reprehensible acts of violence in recent history by luring and executing Tyshawn Lee. We are hopeful this provides some level of solace to the family and now CPD will work with our prosecutorial partners to ensure we build the strongest case possible to hold them accountable,” Guglielmi said.

A first-degree murder warrant had been out for Edwards’ arrest since about four weeks after Tyshawn’s slaying on Nov. 2, 2015, police said previously.

Boone-Doty, 22; and Morgan, 27, have already been charged with the murder and remain held without bond.

Corey Morgan | Chicago Police

Authorities have said Tyshawn was lured into an alley in Auburn Gresham’s 8000 block of South Damen and killed execution-style. Boone-Doty offered to take the boy to a store for candy and walked him down the alley before shooting him repeatedly at close range, Cook County prosecutors allege.

Tyshawn Lee | photo provided

Police have said Tyshawn was killed in retaliation for the Oct. 13 murder of Corey Morgan’s brother Tracey Morgan, 25, after he left a police-sponsored meeting of parolees whose goal was to resolve gang conflicts in the area.

Police have not detailed Edwards’ alleged involvement in the killing.

Kristian Taylor charged with 2013 murder of Shawntina Burpo in same gang war that killed Tyshawn Lee

Jeff Mayes — Thu, 07 Apr 2016 15:33:53 -0500

By RUMMANA HUSSAIN
Chicago Sun-Times

Kristian Taylor | Chicago Police

A purported gang member was ordered held without bond Thursday for the 2013 murder of Shawntina Burpo, which was tied to the same gang rivalry that claimed the life of 9-year-old Tyshawn Lee.

Kristian Taylor’s attorney, Michael Oppenheimer, said Burpo’s shooting death was “tangentially” connected to Tyshawn’s, while maintaining his client’s innocence.

Witnesses to the late-night Sept. 19, 2013 incident are all gang-bangers who recently decided to come forward and pin Burpo’s murder on Taylor, 29, Oppenheimer said.

“My client had nothing to do with it. He is innocent,” the defense attorney said after Taylor appeared before Cook County Judge Peggy Chiampas.

Taylor is a member of the Terrordome faction of the Black P-Stones, prosecutors allege. He was seen in the front passenger seat of a dark-colored sedan that was the source of gunfire that hit Burpo as she stood with members of the Killaward faction of the Gangster Disciples in the 7900 block of South Wood Street, Assistant State’s Attorney Jamie Santini said.

Santini said witnesses saw the driver lean back as Taylor raised a shotgun, pointed it in the direction of Burpo and the others, and fire.

Burpo was struck in the abdomen, and died at Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn.

Taylor, who goes by the street name “Gotti,” fled in the sedan. But months later, a witness came forward and identified Taylor as the shooter, Santini said.

As police continued their investigation, more people started coming forward and picking Taylor out in photo array —especially last year and earlier this year, Santini said. Tyshawn was killed Nov. 2.

Taylor fled to Springield and recently was arrested there, Santini said.

Although Santini didn’t mention Tyshawn, he told Chiampas the rival gangs connected to Burpo’s murder have been in an ongoing street war in which several people have been killed.

Oppenheimer said although Burpo’s murder was a “horrible, horrible, tragedy,” there was no murder weapon to connect Taylor to the crime.

Taylor has previous convictions for possession of a stolen motor vehicle and possession of a controlled substance.

Tyshawn was also killed in an ongoing gang feud.

Dwright Boone-Doty is accused of luring the boy into an alley and shooting him in the head, as well as an earlier shooting that left a woman dead and a man injured in another incident.

Corey Morgan, 27, has also been charged with the boy’s murder, and police are searching for a third suspect, 22-year-old Kevin Edwards.

Last month, Tyshawn’s father, Pierre Stokes, was charged with shooting three people.

Police: Jailhouse informant led to charges against inmate for killing Tyshawn Lee and Brianna Jenkins

Jeff Mayes — Tue, 08 Mar 2016 09:48:53 -0600

By FRANK MAIN, STEFANO ESPOSITO and SAM CHARLES
Chicago Sun-Times

Dwright Boone-Doty | Chicago Police

A jailhouse informant provided the key evidence that led to charges against the alleged triggerman in the execution of 9-year-old Tyshawn Lee and the murder of Brianna Jenkins, law enforcement sources said Tuesday.

An inmate in the Cook County Jail told authorities that Dwright Boone-Doty was bragging about shooting Tyshawn, sources said. Cook County sheriff’s officials notified the Cook County state’s attorney’s office and Chicago Police, whose detectives interviewed the informant.

When detectives decided the informant was credible, they obtained court authorization for the informant to wear a wire, which captured Boone-Doty making incriminating statements about his involvement in Tyshawn’s Nov. 2 slaying—as well as the Oct. 18 slaying of Brianna Jenkins.

On Monday, Boone-Doty was charged with murder in the deaths of Tyshawn and Jenkins, and with attempted murder for allegedly wounding Deshari Bowens in the same shooting that killed Jenkins.

Tyshawn Lee

The FBI provided technical assistance in the “overhear” of Boone-Doty, who was in the Cook County Jail on a separate gun charge, sources said.

Detectives “were able to ascertain that Mr. Doty targeted, lured and executed Tyshawn Lee,” Anthony Guglielmi, a Chicago Police spokesman, said.

Police believe Tyshawn, Jenkins and Bowens were all shot in connection with an ongoing gang feud in the Auburn Gresham neighborhood on the South Side.

Jenkins, 19, and Bowens, 20, were sitting in a car about 4:30 p.m. Oct. 18 in the 7800 block of South Honore when they were shot, police said.

Jenkins, of the 2100 block of West 69th Street, was shot multiple times and pronounced dead at the scene, authorities said. Friends drove Bowens to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, where his condition was stabilized.

Brianna Jenkins | Facebook

Police have said Tyshawn was killed in retaliation for the Oct. 13 murder of Tracey Morgan, 25, after he left a police-sponsored meeting of parolees whose goal was to resolve gang conflicts in the area. Tyshawn was walking to his grandmother’s house at 4 p.m. when he was led into an alley and fatally shot in the head, police said.

Morgan and Boone-Doty were members of a faction of the Black P Stones, police said.

Tyshawn was targeted because of his father’s ties to a rival Gangster Disciples faction believed responsible for Morgan’s killing, police said.

Corey Morgan | Chicago Police

Boone-Doty was arrested on a separate gun charge in mid-November, along with another man, Corey Morgan.

Morgan, the brother of Tracey Morgan, was later charged in Tyshawn’s death. Police have a warrant for the arrest of a third suspect, Kevin Edwards, 22, in the fourth-grader’s killing.

Tracey Morgan | Facebook

Boone-Doty was sentenced to five years in prison in July 2013 for unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon, aggravated unlawful use of a weapon and other narcotics convictions, prison records show.

He was paroled in August 2015, three months before Tyshawn was lured into the alley in the 8000 block of South Damen and fatally shot.

Corey Morgan, 27, of Lansing, was previously charged with one count of first-degree murder for the boy’s death and is being held without bond.

Morgan’s attorney, Jonathan Brayman, has said his client denied being involved in Tyshawn’s murder.

Kevin Edwards | Chicago Police

Tyshawn was shot in the right temple and the bullet went through his left temple, according to a Nov. 3 autopsy report reviewed by the Chicago Sun-Times. He also was grazed in the back, right forearm and right hand.

Gunpowder residue was found on the left side of Tyshawn’s face, revealing that the shooter likely missed a shot. That bullet likely either grazed his back or struck his right thumb. There were no gunshot wounds on the left side of his face, the report said.

Seven .40-caliber bullet casings were found at the murder scene.

Judge to man accused of killing 9-year-old Tyshawn Lee: You are a danger. No bail.

Jeff Mayes — Fri, 27 Nov 2015 14:40:31 -0600

Corey Morgan | Cook County sheriff's office

A South Side man man was ordered held without bond Friday for the murder of 9-year-old Tyshawn Lee, the Chicago.

In addition to Corey Morgan, at least two others were involved in the fatal shooting after Tyshawn was lured into an alley while he was playing basketball nearby, authorities said.

“This is a crime that shook our city. … It was an act of barbarism, the assassination of a 9-year-old child as a gang retaliation to get back at his father,” Chicago Police Supt. Garry McCarthy told reporters.

Morgan’s arrest was announced on Twitter early Friday by Chicago Police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi.

Cook County Judge Peggy Chiampas lambasted Morgan for “hunting every day with a firearm a week in retaliation.”

“There is nothing this court can do to save grandmas,” the judge said. “You are a danger not only to your self, to your community. No bail!”

Tyshawn Lee

Mayor Rahm Emanuel praised McCarthy and other officers for their efforts in the investigation.

“I would like to commend Superintendent Garry McCarthy, the leadership of the Chicago Police Department, and the men and women of the police force for identifying and arresting the two individuals believed to have targeted and killed ‎nine-year-old Tyshawn Lee,” the mayor said in a statement.

“All of Chicago grieves for this young life taken far too soon, and we must ensure that justice is served.”

McCarthy said police were able to narrow in on the suspects with “forensic evidence and community involvement.”

No murder weapon has been recovered.

“We got an awful lot of intelligence from the community,” he said. “This was very clearly not a case of ‘no-snitching’ but there was a lot of fear.”

When asked if Tyshawn’s dad was helpful in the investigation, the top cop said, “Not at all. Not at all.”

While police believe there were “at least three people involved” in Tyshawn’s murder, McCarthy said investigators believe that only one person pulled the trigger. The shell casings came from one gun, he said.

“There were three people, we’re pretty certain, acting in concert. Who drove the car, who was on the scene, Who pulled the trigger, is all being worked on,” McCarthy said.

One man is already in custody on an unrelated gun charge, McCarthy said. His name was not disclosed.

Authorities have also issued a first-degree murder warrant for a man named Kevin Edwards, McCarthy said. Edwards is from the Chicago area, McCarthy said.

Kevin Edwards | Chicago Police

All three men are members of the same gang, McCarthy said.

“That gang just signed its own death warrant,” he said.

About 4 p.m. on Nov. 2, Tyshawn was lured into an alley in the 8000 block of South Damen and executed in retaliation against the boy’s father, authorities say.

Police believe Tyshawn was killed in retaliation for the Oct. 13 murder of Tracey Morgan, 25, who is the brother of Corey Morgan, records show.

But McCarthy said on Friday two murders and two non-fatal shootings “precipitated” Tyshawn’s killing.

“He was definitely lured from the park where he was playing basketball with some friends,” McCarthy said.

An uncharged suspect took Tyshawn’s basketball, gave it back and then walked with him into alley off Damen, where he was shot at close range, Cook County prosecutors said Friday at Morgan’s bond hearing. The boy had defensive wounds as if he tried to block one of the gun shots, they said.

Tyshawn was shot in the right temple and the bullet went through his left temple, according to a Nov. 3 autopsy report reviewed by the Sun-Times. He was also grazed in the back, right forearm and right hand.

Seven .40-caliber bullet casings were found at the murder scene.

Tyshawn, who was just 83 pounds and 56 inches tall, wore black jeans, plaid boxers, an orange Polo shirt and a dark jacket with yellow lining on his final day of life. He had an iPhone charger and a watch on him when he died, but no phone, the report said.

On Nov. 17, police arrested Morgan, a person of interest in the slaying of the fourth grader. Morgan, 27, whose address was listed as in the 7800 block of South Hoyne, was arrested after he left a Hilton hotel near 95th Street in Oak Lawn, authorities say. He was later charged with possession of a firearm by a felon.

Prominent defense attorney Sam Adam Jr. accompanied Morgan to speak with police at the time.

Adam, who does not represent Morgan, said he does not know if Morgan was involved or not in Tyshawn’s murder. But he said the community was instrumental with the investigation from the start.

“All I can say is that with every thing going on in Chicago to say that people are not interested in what’s going on is false,” Adam said.

Arrested with Morgan was Dwight Boone-Doty, 21, of the 7300 block of South Vernon.

They were stopped in a car on 87th Street in nearby Evergreen Park.

Police allegedly recovered two handguns from the men. They both were ordered held on $1 million bail to the sounds of gasps in the courtroom. Morgan was later released after posting his $100,000 bond.

Police ran tests on two .40-caliber pistols they found when they searched a car in which Corey Morgan and Dwight Boone-Doty were driving in Evergreen Park.

Police say they saw a pistol tucked in Boone-Doty’s waistband as he and Morgan got into the car and left a Hilton Hotel in south suburban Oak Lawn. Police pulled the men over a few blocks away in Evergreen Park, and found Boone-Doty with one pistol still tucked in his waistband, and the second gun in a duffel bag Morgan was seen carrying outside the hotel.

Morgan has been barred from owning a firearm after he was convicted of aggravated unlawful use of a weapon. Boone-Doty is on parole for a drug and weapons case from Downstate Sangamon County.

--Chicago Sun-Times

Gang member charged with slaying of Tyshawn Lee, second suspect in custody, warrant issued for third

Jeff Mayes — Fri, 27 Nov 2015 11:38:54 -0600

By STEFANO ESPOSITO
Chicago Sun-Times

Corey Morgan | Cook County sheriff's office

A man has been charged with the murder of 9-year-old Tyshawn Lee, the Chicago Sun-Times is reporting.

Two other gang members are also involved with the murder, Police Supt. Garry McCarthy said at a news conference.

Corey Morgan was charged with first-degree murder for the Nov. 2 shooting, according to Sally Daly, a spokeswoman for the Cook County state’s attorney’s office. He was expected to appear in bond court Saturday.

The arrest was announced on Twitter early Friday by Chicago Police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi.

Police were able to narrow in on the suspects with “forensic evidence and community involvement,” McCarthy said.

“We got an awful lot of intelligence from the community,” he said. “This was very clearly not a case of ‘no-snitching’ but there was a lot of fear.”

Kevin Edwards | Chicago Police

When asked if Tyshawn’s dad was helpful in the investigation, the top cop said, “Not at all. Not at all.”

There are two other people involved in the murder, McCarthy said. But he would not say who pulled the trigger.

One man is already in custody on an unrelated gun charge, but his name was not disclosed. Authorities have also issued a first-degree murder warrant for 22-year-old Kevin Edwards of Chicago, McCarthy said.

All three men are members of the same gang, McCarthy said.

“That gang just signed its own death warrant,” he said.

About 4 p.m. on Nov. 2, Tyshawn was lured into an alley in the 8000 block of South Damen and executed in retaliation against the boy’s father, authorities say.

Police believe Tyshawn was killed in retaliation for the Oct. 13 murder of Tracey Morgan, 25, who is the brother of Corey Morgan, records show.

Tyshawn Lee

Seven .40-caliber bullet casings were found at the murder scene.

Arrested with him was Dwight Boone-Doty, 21, of the 7300 block of South Vernon.

They were stopped in a car on 87th Street in nearby Evergreen Park.

Police ran tests on two .40-caliber pistols they found when they searched a car in which Corey Morgan and Dwight Boone-Doty were driving in Evergreen Park.

Morgan has been barred from owning a firearm after he was convicted of aggravated unlawful use of a weapon. Boone-Doty is on parole for a drug and weapons case from downstate Sangamon County.