Teen Shot 14-Year-Old Boy Over Brother's Facebook Comments: Prosecutors

A teenage boy shot a 14-year-old over comments the victim’s brother purportedly made on Facebook, Cook County prosecutors said Tuesday.

Martell Champagne, 16, was charged as an adult with aggravated battery with a firearm, the Chicago Sun-Times is reporting. Champagne is a member of the Four Corner Hustlers and was on probation for a 2015 robbery, aggravated battery and theft case, Assistant State’s Attorney Lesley Gool said.

The 14-year-old, who was wounded Sunday in the Austin neighborhood, has no gang affiliation, Gool said.

The victim and his two friends were walking to a friend’s house when Champagne and his pal saw them from a corner store in the 4900 block of West Augusta Boulevard and started following them, Gool said.

At some point, Champagne took an object from his waistband and put it inside the hoodie he had on, Gool said.

The 14-year-old boy, who sensed he was in danger because his older brother had been feuding with Champagne and his friend, started running with his companions, Gool said.

As the 14-year-old tried to scale a gate by a house on Lawler Avenue, Champagne allegedly came at him with a black gun and asked him what his brother had said on Facebook about a friend who was killed in February.

Before the younger boy could answer, Champagne started firing, Gool said.

The victim kept running until a neighbor let him into her house. The boy didn’t realize he was shot in the right leg until he was inside, authorities said. He was later taken to Stroger Hospital.

The boy, who knew his attacker from grade school, gave police a description of Champagne, Gool said.

Champagne was arrested shortly after in the same corner store he had been in before the shooting. He was identified by the victim and two others, Gool said.

Champagne has violated his current juvenile probation at least five times, Gool said.

He was found delinquent in another theft case from last year and a 2014 assault case, the prosecutor told Judge Donald Panarese Jr.

An assistant public defender noted that Champagne, who attends Prologue High School, has been passing his drugs tests, plays basketball and recently helped out classmates in a fashion show.

Panarese ordered Champagne held on $500,000 bail.

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