CHICAGO (WGN) A 55-year-old man has been charged for his role in a shooting at Douglass Park that killed one teen and injured another on Thursday, the Chicago Police Department announced.
Surveillance video, obtained by affiliate WGN through a source, captures the moments leading up to the shooting.
Charles Leto, a Chicago Park District lifeguard, is scheduled to appear in court for a detention hearing Sunday afternoon.
The footage shows a man, identified as Leto, working on his bike as a group of teens approaches. Suddenly, the man jumps up and opens fire on the teens.
Shortly after the shooting, the man is seen kneeling on the ground with a gun lying next to his knee.
The Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office says 15-year-old Marjay Dotson was killed after being shot in the back during the incident.
Jeremy Herred, a 14-year-old sophomore at UIC College Prep, was shot in the neck and remains hospitalized.
The Sun-Times reports the suspect told police he has a concealed carry license and claims he acted in self-defense. He says the teens allegedly followed him, attacked him and tried to steal his bike.
A witness told police she was standing next to the man, who was fixing his bike, when a group, which included the two teens, approached him, according to the Sun-Times.
The witness said the man reached into his bag and grabbed his gun, then fired the weapon and struck the teens, according to the Sun-Times.
Leto has been charged with the following:
- Murder
- Attempted murder
- Aggravated battery/discharge firearm
- Aggravated discharge firearm
Jeff Neslund, the attorney for both teens, issued a statement after the charges were announced, saying in part:
“The families take solemn relief that the justice system is now engaged with the announcement of criminal charges against the shooter.”
At a press conference at Grace Memorial Church on Friday, Neslund firmly denied that there was any altercation or provocation involving the alleged shooter.
“No justification to shoot a child in the back anywhere. Let alone a public pool or park. We’ll get to the bottom of it,” he said.
Neslund says both boys were unarmed and argues that prosecutors should pursue hate crime charges against the man. Their families echo that call.
“I need justice to be swift, I need it to be exact, I need it to be strong in this matter,” Rev. Marvin Hunter, senior pastor of Grace Memorial Church, said.
Leto’s legal team is not commenting on his charges at this time.
