Chicago Police

Second Teen Charged in Deadly Shooting of Retired Chicago Fire Lieutenant, Police Say

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A second teenager has been charged with murder in the fatal shooting of a retired Chicago fire lieutenant during an attempted carjacking, police announced early Friday.

Dwain Johnson, 18, was charged with one count of first degree murder, one county of attempted vehicular hijacking with a firearm and two counts of unlawful use of a weapon, one for possession of a concealed weapon and the other for having an automatic weapon - all felonies, according to Chicago police.

Authorities say the charges stem from his involvement in the fatal shooting of 65-year-old Dwain Williams, a retired Chicago fire lieutenant, during an attempted carjacking on Dec. 3.

Authorities said Johnson, of the 1900 block of McKinley Street in Gary, Indiana, was taken into custody by the FBI''s Violent Crimes Task Force on Wednesday afternoon in the 15900 block of South Leclaire Avenue in Oak Forest.

Chicago police announced charges against Johnson hours after a 15-year-old was charged with in the case.

The teen was arrested by the Great Lakes Regional Task Force Wednesday afternoon in the 400 block of West 16th Street, in Chicago Heights, according to police. A gun was recovered through a search warrant and testing was underway to determine if it was the weapon used in Williams' fatal shooting.

Police say it was the past crimes of an alleged “carjacking crew” around the Chicago area that helped lead to an arrest in the killing of a retired fire lieutenant in the city. NBC 5's Charlie Wojciechowski reports.

Prosecutors said the 15-year-old was first-degree murder and felony attempted robbery with a firearm. The teen pleaded not guilty through his public defender Thursday and was ordered held in court custody until his next hearing on Dec. 21.

Williams was shot and killed as he left a gourmet popcorn shop "Let's Get Poppin," located in the 11700 block of South Western Avenue in Chicago's Beverly Woods neighborhood, according to police.

The Chicago Police Department released surveillance footage last week showing the moments leading up to and following the fatal shooting.

As Williams left the shop, the video shows he was confronted by multiple individuals who jumped out of a car and began firing in his direction.

Williams shielded himself with his SUV, which was decorated with a red Rudolph nose and reindeer antlers, as he returned fire at the suspects. The veteran firefighter sustained a gunshot wound and was transported to the hospital where he was pronounced dead.

As seen in surveillance video, the suspects jumped back in the vehicle they arrived in as a fourth individual drove the car away.

Police said Thursday that it was the past crimes of an alleged "carjacking crew" around the Chicago area that helped lead to the first teen's arrest.

"This is a carjacking crew who's involved in multiple different offenses," said Chicago Police Chief of Detectives Brendan Deenihan.

"The south suburban departments and the FBI were of great assistance to the detectives in this cases, working together as a team because the south suburban departments were very familiar with this crew and believe they know some of these offenders," Deenihan said. "Eventually, through evidence and through some technology, the detectives were able to narrow it down to these four individuals."

Police are still looking for two others believed to be involved in the alleged carjacking and deadly shooting.

Police said the vehicle the group was in at the time was stolen and later recovered in Tinley Park.

"We worked with south suburban departments to gather video from that incident. That incident led to other steals and other carjacking crimes that this crew involved in," Deenihan said.

Williams, a father of four daughters, was retired from the CFD after 26 years of service. He was also part of the Black Fire Brigade where he mentored and trained young teens to become emergency medical technicians, paramedics and firefighters.

Dwain Williams was the rock of his family, Williams' wife, Karen, said Friday, less than 24 hours after the retired Chicago Fire Department lieutenant was fatally shot during an attempted carjacking. NBC 5's Charlie Wojciechowski reports.

"Dwain is an inspiration," his widow, Karen Williams, said Saturday at the Monument Of Faith Evangelistic Church, the site of her husband's celebration of life service. "His kind and loving spirit resonated with others, as you can see."

Karen Williams said her husband was a brave and courageous man, even in the final moments of his life.

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot, who also spoke at Williams' funeral over the weekend, quoted the former firefighter's nephew as she announced charges in the case Thursday.

"[Williams' nephew] said that if those men had given his uncle five more minutes, not only would he have talked them out of the crime that they were about to commit, but he would have shown them how to turn their lives into another direction and that he would have been there to help them do that. Unfortunately, he didn't get those 5 minutes."

Chicago police called the first arrest in the case "shocking."

"Fifteen is so young to be involved in such a heinous crime," Chicago Police Supt. David Brown said. "We always think it's a failure in our ability to change our young people's behavior, but with that said, his actions were heinous. The fact that this murder took place as a result of a car being taken is something that is so tragic for this family. We owe it to this victim and his family to bring everyone, regardless of their age, to justice."

Anyone with information about the crime or potential suspects is asked to call Area Two detectives at 312-747-8271or submit a tip to CPD online.

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