CHICAGO – The families of two teenagers who were shot, one fatally, at Douglass Park in June announced a wrongful death lawsuit against the Chicago Park District and the suspected shooter.
The shooting happened on June 26 when Charles Leto allegedly killed 15-year-old Marjay Dotson and critically wounded 14-year-old Jeremy Herred.
Leto, 55, was charged with murder, attempted murder, aggravated battery/discharge of a firearm and aggravated discharge of a firearm in an occupied vehicle.
(Chicago Police Department)
The lawsuit was filed on Tuesday by the mothers of the victims.
The backstory:
Around 7 p.m. on June 26, someone had taken Leto’s bike from where it was parked and left it up the stairs, although prosecutors said there was no information that the victims in the case were responsible.
Leto, who was employed as a lifeguard at the Douglass Park Pool, retrieved his bike and got into a brief verbal argument with one of the teens.
Leto walked his bike up the sidewalk, stopped, and flipped his bike upside down. He took off his backpack and began to search through it when the three victims were walking nearby.
Prosecutors said none of the “numerous” witnesses who were interviewed heard the victims threaten Leto. None of the victims were armed with any weapons.
As the victims walked closer to Leto, one of them “reached toward” his bike. That’s when Leto allegedly stood up, pointed his gun at the boy, and fired a single shot. The teen, Dotson, was hit in the lower back and fell to the ground, prosecutors said.
Leto then allegedly turned and fired shots at the other two teens standing in the grassy area. One of the teens put his hands in the air, and both boys walked backwards, away from Leto.
Herred was shot in the neck while Dotson was shot in the back.
Prosecutors said Leto called 911 after the shooting and claimed he was attacked by the boys, a claim contradicted by video and witness statements.
Dotson died from the gunshot wound to his back. The teen shot in the neck was in critical condition with life-threatening injuries. The bullet shattered his vertebrae and severed an artery, which brought blood to his brain.