Man charged in Douglass Park shooting that killed one is linked to prior self-defense claim in shooting of dogs

Chicago Tribune

14 hours ago

For the second time in three years, Charles Leto has claimed he opened fire in self-defense.
Over the weekend, prosecutors say, he shot at three unarmed teenagers in Douglass Park, killing a 15-year-old boy and seriously wounding a 14-year-old in a crowded park during a summer evening. More than two years earlier, he shot two dogs in Lakeview, killing one and sparking a response by a Chicago Police SWAT team, according to an attorney for the Douglass Park victims.
The tragic shooting was decried as 'senseless' by a relative of one of the boys, and prosecutors alleged that nothing backs up Leto's claim of self-defense. On the contrary, they said, his account is disputed by witnesses and surveillance video.
Leto, 55, was arrested over the weekend after the shooting early Saturday night near the Douglass Park pool. He was charged with first-degree murder, attempted murder, and two other felonies, which Leto, a Chicago Park District lifeguard, claimed to police had been in self-defense after the boys attacked and followed him.
During his initial court appearance on Sunday, Leto, who had a valid Firearm Owner's Identification Card and Concealed Carry License, was ordered held pending trial.
Witnesses said the two boys approached the man as part of a group as he was fixing his bike near the park fieldhouse and that the man took a gun out of his backpack and fired two shots, according to a CPD report.
The older teen, identified by the Cook County Medical Examiner's office as 15-year-old Marjay Dotson, was shot in the lower right back and pronounced dead around 7:40 p.m., while the younger teen was shot in the neck and taken to Stroger Hospital in serious condition, police said.
Asked about the case and the prior dog shooting, Leto's attorney, Jayne Ingles, said in a statement to the Tribune:
'Charles Leto is a Marine veteran who served his country. He was a dedicated advocate for preserving Douglass Pool as an important community resource. We are committed to ensuring that his actions are understood in full context and that his rights are protected as this matter proceeds.'
Two years earlier, Leto was involved in the dog shooting in the Lakeview neighborhood, according to Jeffrey Neslund, an attorney for the families of the two teens.
In February 2023, a woman was with her two unleashed dogs in the alley of the 1000 block of West Oakdale, authorities said at the time. When a man entered the alley, the dogs advanced on him 'in an aggressive manner.' He drew a gun and fired at both dogs, killing one of them.
A prolonged barricade situation followed as a CPD SWAT team responded to the scene. Leto was not cited or charged in that shooting.
This time, surveillance footage contradicted his self-defense claim, according to prosecutors.
'He claimed he was attacked by two juveniles and that he was being followed by two kids,' according to a proffer. 'He claimed that one juvenile lunged at him and he fired in self defense.'
But the investigation turned up different accounts, according to the proffer.
Around 7 p.m., the pool closed, and Leto went to retrieve his bike, according to the proffer. The bike had been moved from where it was parked near the pool and left up some stairs.
There is no information that indicates any of the teens had moved the bike, according to the proffer, but Leto nonetheless got into an argument about the bike with one of the teens.
Afterward, Leto walked his bike on the sidewalk, flipped it upside down and then began rummaging through his backpack, the proffer said.
Meanwhile, the three teens also walked down the sidewalk. Investigators interviewed witnesses, none of whom reported that the teens threatened Leto.
The boys were unarmed, according to the proffer.
As one of the teens walked past Leto along the sidewalk and as another reached toward the bike, the proffer alleged, Leto aimed a pistol and shot, hitting one of the teens in the lower back. The teen had been turning away from Leto, the proffer said.
Leto then turned and fired shots at the two other teens who were 'the grassy area at a distance from the defendant,' the proffer said. One of the teens was shot and the other put his hands up and walked backwards away from Leto. He was not struck.
Leto then called 911 and said he was 'attacked by children at the park,' the proffer said.
Inside Leto's backpack were two magazines, a Kevlar panel and a satellite phone, according to the proffer.
Over the weekend, the teen wounded in the Douglass Park shooting was identified by his family as Jeremy Herred, whose great-great uncle, the Rev. Marvin Hunter, called the gunfire 'senseless.'
'It's a sign of the times in which we live,' he said. 'And I'm praying that people will reverse their attitude as it pertains to conflict resolution and violence,' Hunter said Saturday.
Herred is a relative of Laquan McDonald, whose murder by Officer Jason Van Dyke in 2014 helped expose foundational problems with policing in Chicago. Herred remained hospitalized in critical condition, the family said.
'No weapon — the weapon at home in a lock box, secured — and my nephew would not be wounded and fighting for his life,' Hunter said. 'And Marjay, the other young man, would not be dead.'