Man charged in murder of 9-year-old Tyshawn Lee

Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy said the suspect, 27-year-old Corey Morgan, is a gang member with an extensive criminal history.

A Chicago man has been charged with first-degree murder in the suspected gangland shooting of a nine-year-old boy, in an attack that shocked the US.

Tyshawn Lee was shot and killed on November 2 after being lured into an alleyway in what police have called a new low in gang violence.

According to the Chicago Tribune, Tyshawn Lee, 9, who’s body was found “riddled with bullets”, was the victim of retaliation against his father who had gang ties. They said at least two others had also been involved. A third gang member, whom McCarthy did not identify, is in custody on an unrelated charge, he said. Authorities have also issued a first-degree murder warrant for a man named Kevin Edwards, McCarthy said. Morgan later said he “was going to kill grandmas, mamas, kids and all”, and that he and the other two suspects went out armed every day looking for targets, according to details presented by Cook County prosecutors at a hearing Friday where Morgan was denied bond.

McCarthy said Morgan is a documented gang member and convicted felon.

Morgan and another man were both arrested last week on unrelated gun charges in Evergreen Park after they left an Oak Lawn hotel.

He said the boy’s killers approached him in a park where he was playing basketball with friends and spoke with him, then walked him off into the alley.

“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.

Court papers provided by the prosecutor’s office said that “Tyshawn’s death is the result of a gang war” between two particular gangs that “came to a boil” after Morgan’s brother, Tracy, was shot and killed in a vehicle with their mother on October 13. The bond was set for $1 million, in which Morgan made the $100K bail and was subsequently released.

At the time of his arrest, Boone-Doty was out on parole from the Illinois Department of Corrections on a drug and weapons case. It wasn’t immediately clear if the person arrested is the one who authorities believe opened fire on young Tyshawn or was involved in some other way.

“Quite frankly, in a heinous crime like this, he’s probably better off if we catch him than somebody else”, he said.