Prosecutors released new details about the fatal shooting inside Chicago’s Millennium Park that left 16-year-old Seandell Holliday dead on Saturday evening, with body camera and social media footage helping authorities to piece together what led up to the incident.
According to authorities, 17-year-old Marion Richardson, who was named in open court and the proffer because his case got transferred from juvenile court to Cook County court, is facing charges of second-degree murder and aggravated battery with a firearm in connection with Holliday’s death.
Police say Holliday was shot in the chest during a large gathering near “The Bean” statue on Saturday evening.
The charge of aggravated battery with a firearm automatically bumped the case up to adult court, according to officials. The public defender in the case objected to that decision, but the judge disagreed and allowed the case to move to adult court.
Feeling out of the loop? We'll catch you up on the Chicago news you need to know. Sign up for the weekly Chicago Catch-Up newsletter here.
According to a proffer released by authorities, the defendant in the case was present at Millennium Park after coming down with a female friend to attend a large group gathering, which was advertised as “the trend” on social media.
Once at the park, the defendant was part of a large group that gathered in an area near “The Cloud Gate” statue.
At that point, a separate group began to point at the defendant and talk about him. He then told the female friend that he had a previous altercation with one of the teens in the other group at a previous “trend” meet-up.
Local
According to the proffer, a group then began following the defendant and the female friend, and a girl began arguing with the defendant. They argued back and forth, and the female friend began to pull the defendant back from the group.
It is alleged that Holliday then jumped on the defendant’s back from behind. He then allegedly punched the defendant in the head, according to the proffer.
Another male then approached the defendant and appeared to punch at his head as well. The defendant then took out a gun and fired a shot that struck Holliday in the chest.
The defendant then ran from the area, along with many others. A large group of CPD officers heard the gunshot, and officers observed him dropping a weapon. He then picked up the weapon, placed it in his waistband, and continued to run, according to police accounts of the incident.
Officers chased him and detained him inside the park, recovering the weapon.
Chicago police say that the arrest was captured on body cameras. Pod cameras within Millennium Park also recorded the lead-up to the shooting, while social media footage helped police piece together events that occurred during the shooting itself.
The handgun allegedly recovered from Richardson was a .380 caliber semi-automatic weapon with a laser attachment and an extended magazine with hollow-point bullets.
The suspect accused police of allowing the altercation to escalate.
“You guys ain’t going to do nothing anyways,” the suspect reportedly said to police. “100 (expletive) walking towards me. What was I supposed to do?”
Bail was granted with electronic monitoring and a $250,000 bond. That full bond needs to be posted.
The suspect’s next bond review hearing is scheduled for June 3.
