NewsColony
Chicago shooting: Man accused of killing 2 teens who asked him how tall he was in South Shore
Police say Laroy Battle, 19, opened fire on two teens in an alley in the 7900-block of South Luella Avenue around 5 p.m. on Saturday, June 20.
WATCH: CPD announces charges in fatal shooting of 2 teens
According to Deputy Chief of Detectives Brendan Deenihan, the shooting took place after the two teens and a friend had a brief encounter with Battle, whom they did not know, in a corner store.
“The victims commented, because, since Battle is quite tall, and they asked him how tall he was and you know, hoped to be that tall someday,” Deenihan said. “And unfortunately, obviously we’ll never see the full growth of these poor children.”
As the three teens walked home, two of them were shot multiple times in the alley. Police said they recovered 9 shell casings from the scene.
Jasean Francis, 17, was shot in the back, chest and left hand and taken to University of Chicago Hospital, where he died. Charles Riley, 16, was shot in the back and left leg and was taken to University of Chicago Hospital, where he also died.
Police said the two boys had asked their mothers for the OK to go down the block and buy candy.
“He was a kid,” said his aunt Latonya Pettit. “Liked video games, snacks. That was his thing. He would walk into this hospital gift shop daily and purchase snacks.”
“He was nice to seniors on the block,” said his aunt Keena Hoyle. “The nurses looked forward to him coming over there daily. They brought over to the family roses. They watched him grow up as a child.”
Francis and Riley had just purchased snacks at a South Shore gas station when they were shot.
“The guy followed them from the store and executed them. For no reason,” Pettit said. “No reason at all. There was no altercation. There was nothing.”
Surveillance cameras outside the gas station captured the alleged gunman walking with a heavy limp.
Police confirmed Wednesday they had a suspect in custody. Investigators said they’re working with the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office to file formal charges, which a source said could come soon.
“We want to know why did you do that? Why?” said Alona Matthews, victim’s aunt.
“I just believe in karma. You get back what you put out. And Jasean was just a great kid. He didn’t deserve it. So he should have gotten swift justice,” Hoyle said.
Battle is charged with two counts of first degree murder. Police said he had a previous conviction for aggravated unlawful use of a weapon, for which he received probation.
Police thanked the community for their help in providing surveillance video of the suspect and identifying him.
Copyright © 2020 WLS-TV. All Rights Reserved.
Source: ABC Chicago
The post Chicago shooting: Man accused of killing 2 teens who asked him how tall he was in South Shore appeared first on NewsColony.
NewsColony
source https://newscolony.com/chicago-shooting-man-accused-of-killing-2-teens-who-asked-him-how-tall-he-was-in-south-shore/
Comments
Post a Comment