A suspect has been charged in the shooting that killed two people, including a 2-year-old boy, and wounded a pregnant woman on Chicago's West Side, authorities announced Saturday.
Devon Swan, 26, was arrested overnight and charged with first degree murder for his role in the shooting that occurred on Feb. 14 in the city's Lawndale neighborhood, Chicago police said in a release. Additional arrests are expected. [[414156883, C]]
The shooting happened around 1:30 p.m. in the 2300 block of S. Kenneth Ave., authorities said.
The toddler, later identified as 2-year-old Lavontay White, was killed along with his uncle, 26-year-old Lazarec Collins, of the 2300 block of S. Kostner Ave.
Collins was a documented gang member, according to police, who believe he was the intended target of the attack "which stemmed over a dispute between Collins and a group of individuals."
A 20-year-old woman, identified as Lavontay's aunt, also suffered a gunshot wound to the stomach. She was several months pregnant, officials said, and she and the unborn child were expected to survive. [[413776073, C]]
She was streaming video on Facebook Live at the time of the shooting, according to police. All three victims were in a vehicle in an alley when another car drove past and someone got out and opened fire, authorities said.
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"As is the case, time and time and time again, the offender, 26-year-old Devon Swan is no stranger to CPD or the criminal justice system," Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson said at a news conference announcing the charges Saturday afternoon.
"He's a convicted felon who has been arrested nine times, including previous gun arrests for unlawful use of a weapon, armed robbery, escape from custody and numerous narcotic arrests," Johnson added. "He's also a documented gang member who's been identified by the department on our strategic subject algorithm to be at higher risk as an offender or victim of gun violence." [[238427591, C]]
Rev. Michael Pfleger was "instrumental" in the investigation, authorities said, helping "identify individuals that provided detectives with the information they needed in the case."
"The community came forward with information for me and what I do all the time is say, 'Are you willing to talk with the police?'" Pfleger said at Saturday's news conference. "They said they were willing to if I was there and we would talk, and we then called the police and from that point went forward and brought the information, and the people willing to bring the information were willing to go all the way forward with it."
"People say a lot of times the community doesn’t respond because they're afraid, I get that," Pfleger added. "But we're just as afraid if that killer is still on the street. So we have to take the initiative to say we're gonna become safer as a community when we take people who are killers off the streets, so your faith has to be greater than your fear."
Swan did not contact police, according to Commander Brendan Deenihan, who said the investigation remains "very active" as police continue to search for more suspects in the shooting.
"Regarding the offender who did get charged last night, detectives were able to speak with several witnesses who cooperated with us, and these witnesses, you know, basically told us that this offender had made incriminating statements," Deenihan said.
"We were able to locate this offender, we placed him into custody, then during his interview with the detectives, he made an incriminating statement which ultimately led to him being charged," he said.
"There's a couple different motives that the detectives are working on," Deenihan said, adding that Swan said "they were seeking revenge for a prior incident," but "other people have brought different motives" for the shooting to police.
Lavontay was the third child to be fatally shot in Chicago in the last week. On Saturday evening, 11-year-old Takiya Holmes and 12-year-old Kanari Gentry-Bowers were both shot in the head in unrelated shootings less than a half hour apart on Chicago's South Side.
Takiya died Tuesday morning, and 19-year-old Antwan Jones was charged with first-degree murder after turning himself in late Tuesday evening, according to police.
Kanari died Wednesday evening, a spokesperson for her family said. No one is in custody in connection with the shooting.
"I think it's important that we don’t let the names of these children be forgotten," Johnson said Saturday. "Lavontay White. Takiya Holmes. Kanari Gentry-Bowers. Remember those names and burn them into your memory. Let their lives and death be a reminder of how we need to come together as a city to reduce the gun violence in these neighborhoods."
"We need those names to be said out loud to encourage community members to provide information to us when they know it and have it," Johnson said. "Those names need to be spoken out loud to our state legislators, who hold a key part to making out streets safer by holding repeat gun offenders accountable."
"It's far too easy to go back in the same routine after the dust settles but if we remember those names and what they represent, we can come together to finally make a stand and not let their lives be lost in vain."
