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Chicago Tribune
11-07-2025
- Chicago Tribune
Father of rapper whose party was shooting target released pending gun charge trial
Federal prosecutors on Friday told a judge that there was no connection between a Washington Park man's federal gun possession case and a mass shooting that targeted his daughter's album release party days before he was arrested. Still, in asking that 49-year-old Melvin Doyle be held pending trial, Assistant U.S. Attorney Emily Vermylen said it was 'sad and unfortunate' that Doyle allegedly kept selling weapons following the shooting outside his daughter's party, where four people were killed and 14 were wounded. U.S. Magistrate Judge Laura McNally ordered Doyle released, however, saying she put 'no weight' on Vermylen's argument that Doyle's actions suggested he did not care for the safety of his family. Melvin Doyle's daughter Melanie Doyle, a rising drill rapper who performs under the name Mello Buckzz, was hosting a record release party July 2 at a River North restaurant and lounge when still-unidentified shooters fired into the crowd from a moving car. Authorities have not made any arrests in the shooting. Melanie Doyle claims an affiliation on her social media with NLMB, a gang faction based in South Shore and Grand Crossing, but the hearing Friday made no mention of possible gang-related retaliation. Indeed, Public Defender Amanda Penabad argued that the attention to Doyle's case would likely deter any further lawbreaking behavior as he awaited his trial. 'Anyone with an illegal firearm to sell would have to be an idiot to get within 100 feet of Mr. Doyle,' she said. Doyle is charged with selling 13 guns to undercover informants over about two months, including several in the days after the attack. He entered a 17th floor courtroom at the Everett Dirksen Federal Courthouse for a hearing late Friday morning and greeted a woman in the second row with a slight nod. Doyle shook his head occasionally as Vermylen alleged that he had arranged a series of illegal gun sales via text and conducted those sales at a residence located on the 6600 block of South Champlain Avenue and in his own building in Washington Park, where he worked as a maintenance man. Altogether, the alleged transactions netted Doyle about $13,800, Vermylen said. Authorities on Monday found Doyle in his Lincoln SUV in the 6500 block of South Yale Avenue, not long after he'd allegedly sold three pistols for $3,000, according to a criminal complaint brought in U.S. District Court this week. At the time of his arrest, Doyle was carrying a cell phone he'd used to communicate with the gun purchasers and $1,100 cash, as well as a holster that fit one of the Glock pistols he'd just sold, the complaint alleged. McNally said that while the government's evidence against Doyle was 'troubling' and noted that while Doyle has a serious criminal record that includes an attempted murder conviction, decades had passed since his last conviction and he had a union membership and strong family ties. She ordered him not to travel outside the Northern District of Illinois, not to possess weapons or drugs, and agree to potential drug testing among other conditions of his release. 'We're going to take a leap here together that you will live up to the conditions of this bond,' McNally said. Later Friday, McNally rejected Vermylen's motion to hold Doyle while they appealed the release order. Doyle is next set to appear in court for a preliminary examination July 17.
Chicago Tribune
09-07-2025
- Chicago Tribune
Father of drill rapper whose party was targeted in mass shooting hit with federal weapons charges
The father of the Chicago drill rapper whose album release party was targeted in a mass shooting in River North over the Fourth of July has been hit with federal weapons charges alleging he sold 13 guns to undercover informants over the course of two months, including several just days after the attack. Melvin Doyle, 49, who has multiple felony convictions in his background, was arrested on Monday after he allegedly sold three pistols for $3,000, according to a criminal complaint brought this week in U.S. District Court. Agents with the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives found Doyle sitting in his Lincoln SUV in the 6500 block of South Yale Avenue, about a mile and a half from the site of the transaction, the charges alleged. Doyle was still wearing a holster on his waist that fit the one of the Glock pistols he'd sold, and he was carrying $1,100 in cash, all in $100 denominations, the complaint alleged. A cell phone Doyle had had also been used to communicate with the purchasers of the weapons, the complaint alleged. Doyle is the father of Melanie Doyle, the drill rapper known as Mello Buckzz, according to a law enforcement source. A rising artist who recently collaborated with rap superstar G Herbo, she was hosting an album release party at a River North club on July 2 when a gunman from a passing vehicle fired into the crowd outside, killing four and wounding 14 others. No arrests have been made. Though the investigation into Melvin Doyle's weapons sales was not related to the mass shooting, there has been concern among law enforcement about gang retaliation. His daughter on social media claims an affiliation with 'NLMB,' a gang faction based in the South Shore and Greater Grand Crossing neighborhoods where her father still resides. NLMB has feuded openly with opposing South Side gangs, sources have said, where each has used their music and social media to taunt each other before sometimes exchanging hits on opposition members. On social media channels, Melanie Doyle has said that her significant other and best friend were among those killed. Melvin Doyle, meanwhile, has an extensive criminal record dating back to his late teens. He was charged with attempted murder in 1995, pleaded guilty in 1998 and was sentenced to 10 years in prison, records show. Details about the case were not immediately available. Cook County court records show that the same day that the attempted murder charge was filed, Doyle was also charged with murder in the March 1995 killing of a 23-month-old boy, who was hit by gunfire intended for a rival gang member. In that case, Doyle was found not guilty in a bench trial in July 1998, about a month before he pleaded guilty in the attempted murder, according to court records. Doyle also has two other convictions for narcotics possession, and in 2010 he was charged with armed home invasion and aggravated domestic battery stemming from an incident in Skokie. He pleaded guilty and was sentenced in August 2011 to 12 years. The current case charges Melvin Doyle with a single count of illegal possession of a firearm by a felon. The complaint, however, details a series of transactions that began in May and continued until his arrest Monday, Doyle had an initial appearance at the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse on Tuesday, where prosecutors asked that he be held pending trial. A detention hearing is scheduled for Friday.
