Chicago Park District lifeguard charged with killing teen, shooting cousin of Laquan McDonald near Douglass Park pool
Gunman in deadly shooting at Douglass Park might be Chicago Park District employee, sources say
Gunman in deadly shooting at Douglass Park might be Chicago Park District employee, sources say
Gunman in deadly shooting at Douglass Park might be Chicago Park District employee, sources say
A Chicago Park District lifeguard has been charged with murder and attempted murder, after shooting two teenagers – including a cousin of Laquan McDonald – near the Douglass Park swimming pool on Thursday.
Charles Leto, 55, has been charged with one count each of first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder, aggravated battery, and aggravated discharge of a firearm.
The Chicago Park District has confirmed Leto is a Park District employee, and a Chicago Fire Department source has confirmed he is a lifeguard.
Police have said two teenage boys, ages 14 and 15, were in the park around 7 p.m. Thursday near the pool and basketball court in the 1500 block of South Sacramento Street, moments after the pool closed, when Leto shot them.
The 14-year-old was shot in the neck, and the 15-year-old was shot in the back, police said. Both were taken to Stroger Hospital in serious condition.
The family of the 14-year-old confirmed that he made it out of surgery, but is still fighting for his life. They also confirmed that he is the cousin of Laquan McDonald, who was shot and killed by police in 2014.
The 15-year-old later died. He has been identified as Marjay Dotson by the Cook County Medical Examiner's Office.
A Chicago Fire Department source said Leto is a Chicago Park District lifeguard who was fixing a bike before he sprang up and began shooting. What caused him to shoot remains unclear.
Mayor Brandon Johnson, Park District Superintendent Carlos Ramirez Rosa, and Ald. Monique Scott met with staff and campers at the park Friday morning.
The Park District released a statement saying in part:
"The Chicago Park District is deeply saddened by the tragic shooting that occurred at Douglass Park. We continue to cooperate with the Chicago Police Department as they conduct their active investigation. The Park District has made the decision to close Douglass Park pool today out of care and respect for the park staff and community members impacted by yesterday's events. The District is working with the Chicago Department of Public Health to offer crisis support services to the park staff and residents of the surrounding community."
Leto was due to appear in court on Sunday.
The video above is from a previous report.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
10 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Student arrested near North Las Vegas school after allegedly tossing AR-15 in bush
LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — Police arrested a student near a North Las Vegas school in April who was allegedly in possession of an AR-15 and told police he and his friends were planning to steal cars after school, according to a police report 8 News Now obtained. On April 14, near Swainston Middle School in North Las Vegas, officers with the Clark County School District Police Department were patrolling an area near Fort Niagara Avenue and Bethel Bay Street due to 'recent fights and potential narcotic activity,' according to police. Officers reportedly came across three boys, and one of them led officers on a chase before being arrested. A witness told CCSDPD that he saw one of the boys throw a gun in the bushes. Officers found a Ruger AR-15 with a Tasco optic containing a magazine with 28 rounds, according to the arrest report. Police said the student 'may have been in possession of the firearm during school hours,' and one of the boys revealed they 'were going to steal cars after school.' CCSDPD arrested a student on several charges, including carrying a concealed weapon without a permit. CCSDPD categorized the gun incident as happening off property. Officers seized a total of 36 guns from August 2024 to the end of May. In February, a parent expressed concern to the school board over guns after a student brought a firearm to Tom Williams Elementary School. Las Vegas student found with gun on elementary school campus 'Lord forbid that we have an incident in our community,' Abraham Caramejo told CCSD's board of trustees. Newly hired CCSD Superintendent Jhone Ebert was asked whether she wanted to expand or continue the safety measures put in place. 'Yeah. So the safety measures that have been put in place, the alerts, right? We know every faculty member now does have access to the alert system as well as a single point of entry.' Ebert said. 'Those types of things are best practice. And we will continue making sure that we finish out the work at the middle level and continue at the elementary level as well.' A survey on CCSD's website shows that only 64% of students at Swainston Middle School reported feeling safe in a survey done in February. Sixty-two percent of students felt that 'students at this school threaten to hurt other students.' CCSDPD closed out the 2024-2025 school year with a decrease in the number of guns officers seized compared to last year. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
12 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Execution completed by lethal injection for Mississippi murderer Richard Jordan at Parchman
PARCHMAN, Miss. — Richard Jordan, who spent nearly half a century on Mississippi's death row, was lying strapped to a gurney with his arms splayed out and covered in a white sheet up to his neck when the curtain to Unit 17 rose at 6 p.m. Wednesday, June 25, at the Mississippi State Penitentiary in Parchman. Jordan was surrounded by four Mississippi Department of Correction officials, including Commissioner Burl Cain and Marc McClure, the regional superintendent. McClure asked Jordan if he had any last words, to which Jordan responded "yes." "First I would like to thank everyone here for a humane way of doing this," Jordan said as he looked at the ceiling. "I wish to apologize to the family. I ask that you forgive me for what I did, not forget, but forgive." Jordan then thanked his lawyer and his wife, Marsha, who was sitting and sobbing in the front-row behind the glass viewing area. Marsha was sitting with Krissy Nobile, director of the Mississippi Office of Capital Post-Conviction Counsel, and Tim Murphy, Jordan's spiritual adviser. "I love you," Jordan said. "See you on the other side, all of you. Thank you." For the next eight minutes, the observation room was silent. Jordan's breathing initially slowed, then quickened briefly before slowing again. His eyes gradually closed, and his mouth fell slightly open. By 6:11 p.m., no chest movement was visible. Earlier, at 6:08 p.m., a man with sunglasses on and a blue hat had come into the room and rubbed Jordan's chest to do a consciousness check. U.S. District Judge Henry Wingate ruled last week that if Jordan remains conscious four minutes after receiving the first drug — a sedative — the state must stop the execution. "In my professional opinion, this person is unconscious," the man in sunglasses said. Cain told reporters at a press conference after the execution that "by law" MDOC officials were not allowed to identify the man who did the consciousness check. At 6:16 p.m., Jordan was pronounced dead. The curtain to Unit 17 then slowly closed. "It went as well and smooth as can go and again our hearts go out to the victim's family and to Richard's family," McClure said. McClure said Jordan's body has been claimed by Jordan's family. Jordan, who grew up in Petal, was sentenced to death in 1977 for the 1976 kidnapping and murder of Edwina Marter, a Gulfport bank executive's wife. He's lived on death row for 48 years, making him the state's longest-serving death row prisoner. At a 2 p.m. press conference, McClure described Jordan as 'talkative," saying he appeared "to be in a good mood' ahead of the execution. McClure also announced Jordan's last meal, which he ate at 4 p.m. Jordan requested chicken tenders, fries, strawberry ice cream and a root beer float for his last meal. In a previous interview with the Hattiesburg American, Marter's son, Eric, said he and his brother, Kevin, as well as his father, Charles, would not be attending Jordan's execution. "I don't really have any real desire to go basically and waste my time," Eric said in a phone interview. "I would [have thought] that this had been taken care of 35-40 years ago. It's been probably too long." Keith De Gruy, Edwina Marter's nephew who MDOC officials identified as a "family spokesperson," said a few words on behalf of Marter's family after the execution during a 7 p.m. press conference. "We are grateful this day has finally come even though it doesn't fill the void of Edwina being taken from our lives," De Gruy said. "She will forever be missed by her family and friends." On Monday, June 23, the U.S. Supreme Court denied Jordan's petition to review his case. The Supreme Court also failed to give Jordan a last-minute stay on Wednesday. Those decisions follow a flurry of appeals from Jordan's lawyers to try to halt the execution in recent weeks. Each have been denied. Additionally, Republican Gov. Tate Reeves denied Jordan's plea for clemency on Tuesday, June 24. "Richard lived by the quote that 'you cannot have both love and hate in your heart at the same time,'" Nobile said in an emailed statement after the execution. "Richard always strove to show love to those around him, and he found comfort in his last days in 1 Corinthians 13, which reminds us that a life without love, is no life at all." "Richard spent every day trying to make up for his crime. Until his last day, he sought only to help others. Richard, his family, and his counsel express their deep and sincere sympathy for the family of Edwina Marter." Outside the prison, anti-death penalty protesters gathered around 4:30 p.m. to denounce Jordan's execution and call for an end to capital punishment. A total of 11 protesters stood outside the prison. Sheila O'Flaherty, 79, was among them and said she's attended 'every execution that we've had.' She previously lived near Parchman, which made it easier to be present. Now living in Jackson, she still makes the trip to protest. "I just think it's wrong for the state to execute anybody," she said. "I have enough confidence that the state can keep the people safe, so why do you need to execute someone? He's a human being." Rev. Jeff Hood, a self-described death row spiritual advisor, was also standing outside the prison with the protesters. He previously told the Clarion Ledger that he would be outside Parchman "in protest but also in prayer." At 5 p.m., a lone protester stood in from of the Mississippi governor's mansion, holding a sign that read: "Murder 1, plus Murder 2 does not equal Justice or Peace." The solitary protester paced between the cameras and reporters of two TV stations. Jordan's execution is the 25th in the U.S. this year. A day prior, on Tuesday, June 24, Florida executed Thomas Lee Gudinas, 51, by lethal injection at the Florida State Prison, making him the 24th. It was Florida's seventh of 2025 — the most of any state so far this year. According to the Death Penalty Information Center, no more than 24 people were executed in any year over the past five years — making 2025 already one of the deadliest years for executions in recent history. Capital punishment in MS: A history of executions in Mississippi. How many? What methods? What we know With Jordan's execution, Mississippi joined nine other states that have carried out executions in 2025. Those states include Alabama, Arizona, Florida, Indiana, Louisiana, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas. This was Mississippi's first execution in three years. Thomas Loden, a convicted murderer and rapist, was executed in December 2022. Loden's execution also began at 6 p.m. He spoke his last words at 6:01 and was pronounced dead at 6:12 p.m. No other executions in Mississippi are scheduled this year, according to the MDOC website. Mississippi currently permits four methods of execution: lethal injection, nitrogen hypoxia, electrocution and firing squad. While lethal injection remains the state's preferred method, a 2022 law removed the previously established order of alternatives, giving the Mississippi Department of Corrections discretion to choose among the legal options. Despite the legality of firing squads, the state has never used that method. Contact Charlie Drape at cdrape@ Staff Writer Lici Beveridge contributed to this report. This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Mississippi execution of Richard Jordan after nearly 50 years on death row
Yahoo
14 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Bryan Kohberger to plead guilty to all counts in Idaho college murders case
Bryan Kohberger has agreed to plead guilty to all counts in the killings of four Idaho college students sparing him from the death penalty, according to a letter sent to victims' family members. Kohberger will be sentenced to four consecutive life sentences and waives all right to appeal. A court hearing is scheduled for July 2. The plea comes just weeks before Kohberger's trial was set to begin. Jury selection was set to start on Aug. 4 and opening arguments were scheduled for Aug 18. Kohberger was charged with four counts of first-degree murder and one count of burglary in connection with the killings of roommates Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen and Xana Kernodle and Kernodle's boyfriend, Ethan Chapin. The four victims were all stabbed to death in the girls' off-campus house in the early hours of Nov. 13, 2022. MORE: Idaho college victims' friends recall moment they responded to home: 'You know something's wrong' Two roommates inside survived, including one roommate who told authorities in the middle of the night she saw a man in black clothes and a mask walking past her in the house, according to court documents. The shocking quadruple killings shook the small college town of Moscow and launched a nearly seven-week manhunt. In December 2022, Kohberger, a criminology Ph.D. student at nearby Washington State University at the time, was arrested at his parents' home in Pennsylvania. This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
