Tyshawn Lee | 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.

'Person of interest' in murder of Tyshawn Lee ordered held on $1M bond for unrelated gun charge

Jeff Mayes — Wed, 18 Nov 2015 15:12:43 -0600

By FRANK MAIN and RUMMANA HUSSAIN
Chicago Sun-Times

Corey Morgan | Cook County sheriff's office

A person of interest in the murder of 9-year-old Tyshawn Lee was ordered held on a $1 million bond Wednesday on an unrelated charge of being a felon in possession of a gun.

Corey Morgan, 27, of the 7800 block of South Hoyne, was arrested Monday afternoon after he left a Hilton hotel near 95th Street in Oak Lawn, authorities say. 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 allegedly recovered two handguns from the men. Both were ordered held on $1 million bonds Wednesday to the sounds of gasps in the courtroom.

Tyshawn Lee

Court records show Morgan was convicted of illegal gun possession in 2011 and sentenced to probation and five days of community service.

Law enforcement sources said he is a person of interest in the slaying of Tyshawn about 4:15 p.m. Nov. 2 in the 8000 block of South Damen.

The 4th-grader was lured into an alley and executed in retaliation against the boy’s father, authorities say.

Morgan is not charged in connection with the murder, which has attracted national attention because of its heinous nature.

Chicago Police Supt. Garry McCarthy called the shooting “probably the most abhorrent, cowardly, unfathomable crime that I’ve witnessed in 35 years of policing.”

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.

Tracey Morgan’s mother was in the car with him during that shooting and was wounded. They had just left a police-sponsored meeting to discourage gang members from violence.

Tracey Morgan and Tyshawn’s father were in rival gangs, police say.

Authorities revealed at the bond hearing that Boone-Doty was seen with a gun in his waistband and Morgan was holding a duffle bag, Scaduto said.

Morgan was then seen getting into the back of a car and Boone-Doty got into the front before the car drove away, Scaduto said.

When police stopped the vehicle, they found a .40 caliber gun with 12 live rounds in Boone-Doty’s waistband. And a .45 caliber handgun with 14 live rounds were found in the duffle bag, Scaduto said.

Morgan also has a previous aggravated unlawful use of a weapon conviction. And Boone-Doty is currently on a parole for a drug and weapons case. He was released from prison in August.

Morgan and Boone-Doty both work in construction, their lawyers said.

Morgan has a 1-year-old child, and Boone-Doty a 3-month-old.

An irritated Judge Adam Bourgeois Jr. said, as convicted felons, the men know they shouldn’t have guns.

“I am consistent with gun cases,” the judge said before setting the high bonds, prompting gasps in the courtroom.

Father Pfleger at funeral says slain 9-year-old Tyshawn Lee was a 'victim of a society that has lost its conscience'

Jeff Mayes — Tue, 10 Nov 2015 16:16:27 -0600

By MITCH DUDEK
Chicago Sun-Times

he casket for Tyshawn Lee is carried into St. Sabina Church before Tuesday's service. The church's pastor, Father Michael Pfleger, waits on the steps (right). | Brian Jackson/ For the Chicago Sun-Times

A Harley-Davidson motorcycle arrived at St. Sabina Church on the South Side Tuesday morning towing a small red casket that contained the body of Tyshawn Lee—a 4th-grader whose name the city of Chicago, and many around the country, have come to know.

The 9-year-old was lured into an Auburn Gresham neighborhood alley and executed by a gunman last week. Police said the slaying was gang retaliation against the boy's father.

Hundreds filed past the red casket in front of the altar to pray over Tyshawn, who wore a white tuxedo and red bow tie. A red fedora was placed next to his head, two basketballs near his feet.

Tyshawn's mother, Karla Lee, kissed her son goodbye on the forehead and nearly collapsed in grief as she cried out, "Lord have mercy!"

The trailer carrying Tyshawn Lee’s casket was towed to St. Sabina Church by a motorcycle. | Mitch Dudek/Sun-Times

Mayor Rahm Emanuel paid his respects, as did U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan, U.S. Rep. Bobby Rush and actor Nick Cannon.

Four women offering tissue paper to mourners were posted near the casket.

Film director Spike Lee and Chicago Bulls big man Joakim Noah called the church to offer love and support, the Rev. Michael Pfleger, pastor of St. Sabina, said.

Tyshawn loved to dress up. Another passion was basketball. He dreamed of joining the NBA, friends and relatives said.

He was tech savvy and once helped his mom set up a DVR. He liked bike riding, getting haircuts, playing video games, eating fried chicken and macaroni and cheese, and going to school.

Dozens of his classmates at Scott Joplin Elementary School attended the funeral. School Principal Alene Mason said Tyshawn was beloved and enjoyed earning gold stars in class.

Davon Gordon was Tyshawn Lee’s friends. They liked to play on the swings, he said. Davon was at the funeral with his aunt, Angela Sherrod. | Mitch Dudek/Sun-Times

Davon Gordon, 11, said he was best friends with Tyshawn and brought a card to the church to give the slain boy's family.

"We liked to play basketball and get on the swings. I'm going to miss him," Gordon said.

The strongest words came during a fiery eulogy delivered by Pfleger.

"There are some who like to stand up and say that this is an act of God," Pfleger said. "This is not an act of God. This is the face and reality of evil."

Pfleger said Tyshawn was "a victim of a society that has lost its conscience." He added, "We've lost our conscience, Chicago."

Pfleger implored the community to muster up courage and turn in gunmen who terrorize the community.

"We must, Chicago, find the killer of Tyshawn," he said. "There's consequences when you make our children targets of some murdering coward. And that's what you are when you hurt children: You're a coward. You're a punk."

Attendees at the packed service were handed color-printed programs that contained dozens of pictures of Tyshawn, including ones of the boy in a cap and gown on graduation day, kissing his mother on the cheek, getting kissed on the cheek by his mother and the two making funny faces.

The cover of the program featured a Sponge Bob Square Pants motif.

White doves were released into the sky in front of the church as Tyshawn's casket left the building.

Pfleger said earlier this week that more than $50,000 in reward money had been collected for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person responsible for Tyshawn's death.

Mayor Rahm Emanuel greets Father Michael Pfleger outside the funeral for Tyshawn Lee at St. Sabina Church. | Brian Jackson/ For the Chicago Sun-Times

WEEK IN REVIEW: Two boys, ages 9 and 14, among nine people to die by gun violence in Chicago

Jeff Mayes — Mon, 09 Nov 2015 16:00:56 -0600

By JEFF MAYES
Chicago Sun-Times Wire
At least 9 people died in a violent early November week in Chicago, including a 9-year-old boy fatally shot in an alley in Auburn Gresham; and a 14-year-old boy shot down on a sidewalk in Gage Park.

The younger boy, Tyshawn Lee, was shot in an alley in the 8000 block of South Damen at 4:15 p.m. Monday, authorities said.

At a press conference at Chicago Police headquarters Monday night, Dean Andrews, chief of detectives, said the boy suffered multiple gunshot wounds to his upper body.

Andrews said an unknown number of people were arguing in the alley and gunfire followed. Tyshawn, who lived in the 2000 block of West 80th Street, was pronounced dead at the scene at 4:39 p.m., according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office.

Police Supt. Garry McCarthy later said that Tyshawn was targeted, lured to the alley and "executed" as retribution for his father's gang activity.

The 14-year-old, J-Quantae Riles, was shot to death late Saturday in the Gage Park neighborhood after recently moving back to Chicago from Virginia.

J-Quantae was walking home from the store with a group of friends in the 2200 block of West 59th Street about 9:30 p.m. when shots rang out, according to police and anti-violence activist Andrew Holmes, who spoke with the boy’s mother Sunday.

The teen was found dead on the sidewalk with a gunshot wound to the back, authorities said. Holmes said it’s unclear if the shooting was a drive-by.

A man was killed in an Englewood shooting Saturday night. Michael A. Johnson, 43, was found with a gunshot wound to the head about 10:45 p.m. sitting in the driver’s seat of a parked vehicle in the 700 block of West 59th Street, according to police and the medical examiner’s office.

Johnson, of the 2900 block of West 79th Street, was taken to Stroger Hospital, where he was pronounced dead 11:22 p.m.

A man found shot to death in the West Side Humboldt Park neighborhood early Saturday was identified as 56-year-old Bernard Howard.

Howard was found lying on the sidewalk with a gunshot wound in the 1100 block of North Pulaski about 2:50 a.m., according to police and the medical examiner’s office.

Howard, of the 5300 block of West Quincy, was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 3:24 a.m., according to the medical examiner’s office.

A 51-year-old man was killed and two other men critically wounded in a Humboldt Park neighborhood shooting Friday night.

Felix McGhee Jr. and two other men were outside in the 1400 block of North Kildare about 8 p.m. when two gunmen walked up, started shooting and then ran away, according to police and the medical examiner’s office.

McGhee, who lived on the same block, was shot in the abdomen and taken to Stroger Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, authorities said.

A 19-year-old was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital with gunshot wounds to the abdomen, arm and buttocks; and a 27-year-old was shot in the leg and arm, and taken to Stroger Hospital, police said. Both were listed in critical condition.

A 22-year-old man man was shot and killed Thursday night in East Chatham. Jamar Jackson was standing on a sidewalk just before 8 p.m. in the 7900 block of South Ellis when a grey sedan pulled up and someone inside opened fire, according to police and the medical examiner’s office.

Jackson, of the 11800 block of South Michigan, was shot in the head, buttocks and right calf. He was taken to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, where he died at 8:18 p.m., according to the medical examiner’s office.

A man was shot to death in Gage Park on Tuesday evening. Marlon Spivey, 24, was outside in the 5600 block of South Artesian at 6:15 p.m. when two males walked up and shot him in the head, neck, torso and leg, according to police and the p medical examiner's office.

Spivey, of the 5600 block of South Campbell, was taken to Stroger Hospital, where he died at 7:28 p.m., authorities said.

Police said the suspects ran west on 56th Street after the shooting.

A 24-year-old man was shot and killed during an argument Tuesday afternoon in North Lawndale. Jerald Strong was arguing with another man about 1 p.m. in the 3200 block of West 15th Street when the other man pulled a gun and fired shots, according to police and the medical examiner's office.

Strong, of the 1300 block of South Christiana, was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital, where he died within the hour, authorities said. An autopsy showed he died of multiple gunshot wounds.

The week's first homicide was an aspiring model from north suburban Evanston, shot while walking to a bus stop after visiting her grandmother in Englewood.

Kaylyn Pryor was killed and a 15-year-old boy critically wounded in the drive-by shooting Monday evening.

Pryor, 20, was standing outside with the boy in the 7300 block of South May about 6:20 p.m. when someone in a passing vehicle shot them, according to police and the medical examiner’s office.

Both were taken to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, police said. Pryor, who lived in the 400 block of Callan Avenue in Evanston, was shot in the armpit and pronounced dead at 7:01 p.m., authorities said. The boy suffered a gunshot wound to the groin, and was listed in critical condition.

Pryor was an aspiring model who recently won the “Mario, Make Me a Model” competition at Mario Tricoci Hair Salons & Day Spas. Police said she was not the intended target.

Anti-violence activist pleads at memorial for slain teen: 'This is our fault. This isn’t just the shooter’s fault.'

Jeff Mayes — Mon, 09 Nov 2015 09:27:21 -0600

By MITCH DUDEK, JON SEIDEL and JORDAN OWEN
Chicago Sun-Times

Community activist Andrew Holmes (second from left) helps support Franika Marshall, mother of J-Quantae Riles, at a candlelight vigil at the scene of the shooting Sunday evening. | Jon Seidel/Sun-Times

J-Quantae Riles and his mother and sister moved to Virginia a few months ago to get away from the violent streets of Chicago.

But things in Virginia didn’t work out, so J-Quantae, 14; his mother and 7-year-old sister returned to the Gage Park neighborhood a few weeks ago.

On Saturday night, he was walking home from the store with a group of friends about 9:30 p.m. in the 2200 block of West 59th Street in the West Englewood neighborhood when someone walked up and fired shots, according to Chicago Police.

The teen was found dead on the sidewalk with a gunshot wound in his back, authorities said. They said no one was in custody late Sunday night, and the investigation is ongoing.

Franika Marshall, the boy’s mother, is a hair stylist and rapper who composed and starred in a music video titled “Put the Guns Down.” The video shows Marshall rapping and leading an anti-violence rally.

Franika Marshall holds her hand on a photo of her son, J-Quantae, at the vigil Sunday evening. | Jon Seidel/Sun-Times

Marshall struggled through a candlelight vigil held at the scene of the shooting Sunday evening. Led through a crowd of well-wishers by community activists Andrew Holmes and Willie J.R. Fleming, Marshall sobbed as the men pleaded with the community for help bringing J-Quantae’s killer to justice.

“This is our fault,” Fleming said. “This isn’t just the shooter’s fault. This is our fault as a community, as elected officials and as police. We must come together to save the life of these children.”

Before the men carried her away, Marshall turned to a photo of her son in a light-colored hoodie. She reached out with her right hand. And she let her fingers rest on the image of her dead son’s chest.

J-Quantae’s cousin, 12-year-old Evelyn Coleman, said Sunday he loved playing basketball and was a prankster.

“He also loved to rap,” Coleman said of J-Quantae, who was an eighth-grader at Henderson Elementary school.

Marshall, who is pregnant with twins, feels partly responsible for her son’s death, said Holmes, a crisis responder for Chicago Survivors who has been consoling and guiding the family.

“She thinks it’s her fault because he got shot, but I explained to her it’s not her fault,” Holmes said. “She’s totally upset. She’s totally traumatized.”

Holmes said it’s unclear whether the shooting was a drive-by. The teen’s friends ran off when they heard the shots.

Around the time Marshall went to identify her son’s body on Sunday afternoon at the Cook County Medical examiner’s office, Mayor Rahm Emanuel stepped up to the pulpit at St. Sabina Catholic Church in Englewood and said people must speak up and help police solve crimes.

“We can’t live by a code of silence, we must live by a moral code,” Emanuel told the congregation. “Because where there is silence, there is evil.”

Emanuel said earlier Sunday he visited with the family of Kaylyn Pryor, 20, an aspiring model from Evanston who was shot and killed on Nov. 2 in Englewood, where she went to see her grandmother.

“Later today, I’m going to go open another playground, and I want to know: Is that going to be a playground for a child to swing, or a parent to cry? And we as a city need to answer that question,” Emanuel said.

Moments later, in a fiery homily, the Rev. Michael Pfleger, pastor of St. Sabina, referenced the shooting death of J-Quantae as well as 9-year-old Tyshawn Lee, who was fatally shot Monday afternoon.

Chicago Police said Lee was lured to a South Side alley, where he was assassinated in retaliation against the boy’s father by a rival gang.

Pfleger said he was angry, and after acknowledging that wishing suffering on another was not very Christian, he said he hoped whoever gunned down the boy was living a life of pain and misery because of his conscience.

He urged people to be brave and speak out against violence and those who shoot guns in order to become “game-changers.”

“We need game-changers in Chicago,” Pfleger said.

Holmes asks anyone with information about the shootings to call Operation Restoring Innocence at (800) 883-5587 or Chicago Surviors at (312) 488-9222.

Man who found Tyshawn Lee: 'Who could shoot a child down like that?'

Jeff Mayes — Wed, 04 Nov 2015 11:26:26 -0600

By STEFANO ESPOSITO, FRANK MAIN AND FRAN SPIELMAN
Chicago Sun-Times

Fliers were being passed out Tuesday offering a reward for information leading to those who shot 9-year-old Tyshawn Lee the day before. A memorial was forming in the alley where Tyshawn was killed. | Stefano Esposito/Sun-Times

Chicago Police are investigating whether 9-year-old Tyshawn Lee, who was shot repeatedly at close range and killed, was "lured and targeted" as part of a series of retaliatory gang killings, a law enforcement source said Tuesday.

A Chicago Police source said Tyshawn, who was killed Monday, is related to a gang member who may have been involved in a series of retaliatory killings.

The Chicago Tribune reported police are investigating whether Tyshawn "was killed in retaliation for his father’s alleged role in a gang rivalry."

The father, Pierre Stokes, told the Tribune he thinks his son was targeted but denied anyone had reason to kill Tyshawn in order to retaliate against him. “I’m not hard to find,” Stokes told the Tribune in an interview Tuesday night.

Lena Moore, 41, of Chatham stopped by Tuesday afternoon to pray at a makeshift memorial to Tyshawn Lee, who was shot and killed Monday in Auburn Gresham. | Stefano Esposito/Sun-Times

On Oct. 13, a parolee, Tracey Morgan, was killed and his mother wounded in West Chatham when the car they were in was fired on after he left a meeting in which police and others encouraged gang members to avoid violence.

On Oct. 18, a rival 20-year-old gang member was wounded and 19-year-old Briana Jenkins killed while they sat in a car in Auburn-Gresham.

The source said Tyshawn has a relative in the same gang as the 20-year-old victim, and the boy may have been “lured and targeted” in retaliation for Morgan’s killing.

The source said police are also investigating whether other shootings in the neighborhood might be linked to Tyshawn’s killing. The source emphasized that police are seeking information from people in the neighborhood to flesh out those leads.

Tyshawn was shot in an alley in the 8000 block of South Damen at 4:15 p.m. Monday near his grandmother's home.

He lived in the 2000 block of West 80th Street and was pronounced dead at the scene at 4:39 p.m., according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office.

The boy's killing continued to reverberate throughout the neighborhood Tuesday.

Denise Waller, 61, of Englewood urges the community to get involved in the search for whoever killed Tyshawn Lee. | Stefano Esposito/Sun-Times

Almost 24 hours after the shooting, one man couldn't shake the image of the dead child still in his head.

"I walked around the front and looked at him. His eyes were open. He had a gunshot to the head. I knew he was gone," said a man who agreed to be identified by his first name, Ben.

He said he lives adjacent to the alley where the boy was murdered, and said he discovered the body.

Ben said he was watching TV, when he heard what sounded like firecrackers. In fact, they were gunshots—four or five of them.

"Maybe three or four minutes later, I heard someone screaming, 'Call an ambulance! Call an ambulance!'"

Ben ran out into the alley to find Tyshawn, a boy he didn't know, crumpled on the ground, he said.

Ben said he felt like he was looking at a much younger version of his now-grown son.

"Who could shoot a child down like that—like he was garbage?" Ben said, with disgust.

That disgust was shared by Mayor Rahm Emanuel, who addressed the slaying after announcing a project near Midway Airport.

"The police department is following a number of leads," Emanuel said, before pausing for some time to collect himself.

"Whoever did this—I believe fundamentally in the goodness of human nature, but there is evil in the world," Emanuel said.

"Whoever did this, there is a special place for them. I hope they never see freedom, I hope they never see daylight, and I think anybody who knows who this is, you don't have a financial reward, you have a moral responsibility. This person is not an individual, they're not a human being. Because when you do what you've done to a 9-year-old, there's a place for you, and there is no humanity in that place."

People from Auburn Gresham and surrounding communities fanned out around the murder site Tuesday, passing out fliers that offered a $20,000 reward to help find Tyshawn's killer or killers.

Pastor Andrew Gibson of Vernon Baptist Church in Woodlawn was among them.

"We want to let people know that we care," Gibson said. "Everybody—all lives matter. We stand behind (Tyshawn's) family. We stand behind this neighborhood. And we're standing behind this community."

The Rev. Michael Pfleger also was passing out fliers, hoping to find Tyshawn's killer—a slaying the South Side preacher said he believes was targeted.

"This is not a stray bullet, not a drive-by—this is multiple gunshots to a child and only that one person shot," Pfleger said. "There's no question that this is targeted and that it's an execution."

9-year-old Tyshawn Lee shot to death in Auburn Gresham alley

Jeff Mayes — Tue, 03 Nov 2015 09:18:10 -0600

By STEFANO ESPOSITO and ALEXANDRA KUKULKA
Chicago Sun-Times

Chicago Police expand the crime scene where a 9-year-old boy was shot and killed in the 8000 block of South Damen on Monday. | Brian Jackson/for the Chicago Sun-Times

Nine-year-old Tyshawn Lee was fatally shot Monday afternoon in the Auburn Gresham neighborhood on the South Side.

The boy was shot in an alley in the 8000 block of South Damen at 4:15 p.m., authorities said.

At a news conference at Chicago Police headquarters Monday night, Dean Andrews, chief of detectives, said the boy suffered multiple gunshot wounds to his upper body.

Andrews said an unknown number of people were arguing in the alley and gunfire followed.

Tyshawn Lee | photo courtesy of Karla Lee via CBS2

“At this point it is unclear if this was a targeted incident or a tragic case of being at the wrong place at the wrong time,” he said.

Tyshawn, who lived in the 2000 block of West 80th Street, was pronounced dead at the scene at 4:39 p.m., according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office.

The boy’s grandmother, who did not want her name used, said she saw his body lying in the alley.

“He was always coming in and asking me for food,” she said. And he loved fried chicken and playing basketball.

“When an 8-year-old is gunned down multiple times in an alley, it sounds like an execution-style killing,” said the Rev. Michael Pfleger of St. Sabina Parish, who came to the scene near his church. “But what kind of creature are you, that you could shoot an 8-year-old multiple times?”

Saint Sabina is offering a reward of $20,000 for information leading to an arrest in the case.

Ambulances responded to the scene, but the boy was dead by the time they arrived, authorities said.

Andrew Holmes, a crisis responder for Chicago Survivors, said the boy was a student at Scott Joplin Elementary School.