West Ridge

Parents Await Answers After West Ridge Shooting Death of 13-Year-Old Son

Lavell Winslow was found in a Chicago park last week with a gunshot wound to his head

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After almost a week, no arrests have made in the killing of a 13-year-old boy in Chicago's West Ridge neighborhood.

Lavell Winslow was found shot to death in a North Side park. His parents said his death wasn't an accident and they want the person responsible to be brought to justice.

Vanessa Winslow and Jeffery Brown describe Lavelle as a bright kid on the right track who loved hockey and wanted to be an IT specialist or construction worker when he grew up.

"My son was great in school," said Brown. "He was going somewhere in life."

"He is not a thug or a criminal," said Vanessa Winslow.

Last Friday, a mysterious shooting ended the eighth grader's life.

Lavell's parents said he went to Lerner Park to celebrate a friend’s birthday. Chicago police said the teen was found on a bench with a gunshot wound to his head.

A witness stated he heard a loud pop followed by multiple people fleeing the area on foot. The witness called police after discovering the male victim.

"My son was left under a gazebo on a bench with a hole in his head," Brown said. "He was discovered by an off-duty police officer with a bunch of people running."

Hours after the shooting, 50th Ward Ald. Debra Silverstein tweeted that the shooting appeared to be an accident, but Lavell’s parents said they disagree with that statement.

Ald. Silverstein told NBC Chicago on Thursday that she’s grieving with the family and has reached out to them.

She also said this is an ongoing investigation and she hopes whoever did this is brought to justice.

Lavell's parents said they won't rest until they find out who killed their son and why.

"If it was an accident, they should have told parents and then gone to the police, but that didn’t happen,” Brown said. "We are going to do everything in our power to make sure he receives the justice he deserves because he didn't deserve to die."

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