Suspect charged in death of 9-year-old Chicago boy

Police issued a first-degree murder warrant in the case for a 22-year-old Kevin Edwards Friday morning.

Going after the gang all three men were involved with, as well as the one they’ve been feuding with, is another priority for Chicago police.

Police have not publicly identified the suspect.

McCarthy said police are still unraveling what roles each of the three suspects played in Tyshawn’s slaying.

“It was act of barbarism, the assassination of a nine-year-old child as a gang retaliation to get back at his father”, McCarthy said. Pierre Stokes, Tyshawn’s father, has denied those allegations. Stokes is now on probation for a 2011 armed robbery conviction.

Assistant State’s Attorney George Canellis said the shooting stemmed from an ongoing feud between Morgan’s gang, the BBG (Bang Bang Gang)/Terror Dome faction of the Black P Stones and the Killaward faction of the Gangster Disciples.

“They’re going to be obliterated”, he added.

The police chief said the gang that investigators believe is behind the murder “just signed its own death warrant”.

“Turn yourself in”, McCarthy said when asked to send a message to Edwards.

Fourth-grade student Tyshawn Lee was walking on Chicago’s south side when he was lured into an alley and killed November 2, Fox 32 reported.

Friday’s charges came as thousands of demonstrators took to Chicago’s streets to protest against the death of a teenager who was shot 16 times by a white police officer previous year.

Canellis said Morgan and two other men went out daily with guns looking to retaliate, Canellis said. He was arrested two weeks later in the Chicago suburbs on an unrelated weapons violation.

Morgan and Boone-Doty were each initially held on $1 million bail for the gun charges.

A week later, hundreds gathered for Tyshawn’s funeral and paid tribute to the little boy, who dreamed of playing in the National Basketball Association and loved video games and macaroni cheese. He had an iPhone charger and a watch on him when he died, but no phone, the report said. “And quite frankly, in a heinous crime like this, he’s probably better off if we catch him than somebody else”. McCarthy praised local residents, saying they overcame fears and risks of retaliation to come forward and offer tips to police.