Lavell Southern | Homicide Watch Chicago

Second man charged with shooting of Lavell Southern outside West Loop nightclub

Jeff Mayes — Wed, 23 Dec 2015 12:08:09 -0600

Deangelo Green | Chicago Police

By JORDAN OWEN
Chicago Sun-Times Wire

A second man has been charged in connection with the September murder of former Mount Carmel standout athlete Lavell Southern outside a West Loop club.

Deangelo Green, 31, was arrested Monday and charged with first-degree murder and aggravated battery with discharge of a firearm, according to Chicago Police.

Southern, 23, and a 23-year-old friend were leaving the club in the 1100 block of West Randolph after a birthday party about 2:30 a.m. on Sept. 6 when they encountered several men, including Green and 32-year-old Andre Harris, according to police and prosecutors.according to police and Cook County prosecutors.

Andre Harris | Chicago Police

Harris got into a fight with Southern’s friend, pulled out a handgun and pointed it at the man, according to court documents. He then chased the man around with the gun pointed at him while the man raised his hands and tried to calm him down.

When Southern tried to intervene in the fight, Green pulled out a handgun and hit him in the head with it, prosecutors said. He then told Harris to shoot, and Southern and his friend tried to run away westbound on Randolph toward Racine.

Harris began to chase them and shoot at them, according to prosecutors. Green also fired multiple shots at them as they were running away.

Southern was shot in the back and head while his friend was shot in the arm, prosecutors said. They both managed to turn the corner onto Racine before they collapsed.

Lavell Southern

Southern was taken to Stroger Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, authorities said. The other man was treated at a hospital and released.

Southern was a star football and basketball player at Mount Carmel High School, according to his family. The son of a pastor, he went on to play at Carthage College in Kenosha, Wisconsin.

Prosecutors said multiple witnesses identified Green and Harris as the shooters.

Green, of the 7100 block of South Seeley, was ordered held without bond Wednesday, according to court records. Harris was previously charged in September and is also being held without bond at the Cook County jail.

No bond for man charged with murder of former Mt. Carmel start Lavaell Southern outside West Loop club

Jeff Mayes — Wed, 09 Sep 2015 09:34:42 -0500

By RUMMANA HUSSAIN
Chicago Sun-Times

Andre Harris | Chicago Police

A South Side man was denied bond Tuesday in connection with the fatal shooting of former Mount Carmel football player Lavell Southern outside a West Loop club.

Andre Harris knew Southern, because Southern’s girlfriend is friends with the woman Harris had been dating, authorities said. But it was unclear what set off Sunday morning’s argument that led to the deadly shooting in the 1100 block of West Randolph.

Southern, 23, was apparently trying to break up the fight before he was killed, Cook County prosecutors said.

Southern was a star football and basketball player at Mount Carmel High School, according to his family. Southern, the son of a pastor, went on to play at Carthage College in Kenosha, Wis., his sister said.

Lavell Southern

Southern and his friend, also 23, had just left a club where they had attended a birthday party when they encountered Harris and several other men, Assistant State’s Attorney Kim Przekota said during the bond hearing.

Harris, who goes by the nickname “Dre-Wood,” started to become “aggressive” with Southern’s friend and ended up chasing him, Przekota said.

Southern tried to intervene when another man from Harris’ group pulled a gun and hit Southern in the head with the weapon, Przekota said.

That man then said to Harris, “Blow, Dre,” which Southern and his friend understood to mean “shoot,” authorities said.

So Southern and his friend started running west on Randolph toward Racine. Harris followed and fired, as did the man who had hit Southern in the head seconds before, Przekota said.

Southern was shot in the back and head. Another bullet hit his friend’s arm.

Both men collapsed when they turned the corner on Racine, Przekota said. Southern later died.

Multiple witnesses identified the 31-year-old Harris in photo arrays, Przekota said. He was arrested later Sunday at his home in the 7100 block of South Morgan.

While at Harris’ home, officers saw clothing in a trash bag on the porch, Przekota said. After obtaining a search warrant, they also found bloody pants and two handguns: a 9 mm and a .45 caliber, Przekota said.

Shell casings found on the crime scene matched both guns, Przekota said.

Harris has three prior drug-related convictions.

Defense attorney Sam Adam Jr. said his client works at his family’s demolition company and recently took a job at an auto repair shop. Harris is a father and has another child on the way, Adam said.

Judge Adam Bourgeois Jr. told Adam that he “appreciated” his efforts but said Harris was “dangerous.”

Lavell Southern killed, second man injured in Near West Side shooting

Jeff Mayes — Sun, 06 Sep 2015 22:37:26 -0500

Lavell Southern was killed and another man was injured in a drive-by shooting early Sunday on the Near West Side.

The men were standing outside about 2:30 a.m. in the 1100 block of West Randolph when a black van pulled up and someone inside opened fire, according to Chicago Police.

Southern, 23, was shot multiple times in the back and was taken to Stroger Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 3:02 a.m., according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office. He lived in the 8800 block of South Bennett.

The other man, 24, suffered a gunshot wound to the upper left arm and was also taken to Stroger, where his condition was stabilized, police said.

—Chicago Sun-Times Wire