Boy, 16, charged as adult in deadly Gresham mass shooting
CHICAGO - A 16-year-old boy was charged Thursday in connection with a February mass shooting in Gresham that left three people dead, including a 14-year-old boy.
On Feb. 25, the 16-year-old was welcomed inside a house in the 8000 block of South Vincennes Avenue because he was an acquaintance of a young man who was friends with the family who lived there, according to police. After an "altercation," the 16-year-old pulled out a handgun and shot all the victims who were in the room, police said.
"The tragedy unfolded among friends in what should have been the safe confines of a home and today a 16-year-old boy will be charged as an adult for three counts of murder and one count of attempted first-degree murder," Cook County State's Attorney Kim Foxx said.
The victims include a 14-year-old boy who died after being shot in the back, a 36-year-old man who died at the University of Chicago Medical Center after being shot in the chest, a 20-year-old man who died at Christ Hospital after being shot in the abdomen, and a 16-year-old who is in fair condition at the University of Chicago Medical Center.
The Cook County Medical Examiner's Office identified the 14-year-old boy as Amere P. Deese and the 20-year-old man as Ladeverett West Ringgold.
After the shooting, the teen fled the scene and was seen on surveillance cameras, helping detectives identify him. He was arrested Tuesday at a relative's home in Hazel Crest, police said.
How the shooting unfolded
Ringgold lived with his mother at the home on S. Vincennes, where he and the three other victims were gathered in a bedroom at the time of the shooting.
Police say the victims were "playing with a rifle," before it was laid on the ground behind a TV.
A short time later, at 5 p.m., Ringgold's mother and the 14-year-old boy's sister saw the 16-year-old suspect and his 13-year-old brother arrive at the home.
The suspect joined the group in the bedroom and smoked cannabis. The suspect and his brother aren't related by blood, but they were raised in the same home, police say.
The group was smoking cannabis in the bedroom and hours later, just after 7:30 p.m., the suspect left the room.
A short time later, he returned with a handgun with an extended magazine. He then told the 16-year-old victim to grab the rifle.
The suspect's brother grabbed the rifle from behind the TV instead, and the suspect shot all four victims, according to police.
Authorities say the 36-year-old was shot on the right side of his chest and in his left armpit. He later died at the University of Chicago Medical Center.
The 14-year-old boy, Deese, was shot in his upper right back, Ringgold was shot in the lower left abdomen and both of them died from their wounds.
The fourth victim, a 16-year-old boy, was shot in the leg but survived. He's in fair condition at the University of Chicago Medical Center.
The victim who survived the shooting told police he saw the suspect and his brother leave the bedroom.
The suspect's brother reportedly handed over the rifle before leaving the home. The other witnesses in the home heard the gunshots and alerted police.
The suspect left the home with the rifle before officers arrived.
Authorities found six spent shell casings but were unable to recover the handgun or the rifle.
During the investigation, four people who were at the home during the shooting positively identified the suspect and his brother in photos.