A Chicago lifeguard has been charged with the murder and attempted murder of two Black teenage boys – one of whom is the cousin of Laquan McDonald – after opening fire on a group of teenagers near a swimming pool.
Authorities charged Charles Leto, 55, with first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder, aggravated battery, and aggravated discharge of a firearm in connection with a fatal shooting at Douglass Park on June 26.
According to the Chicago Sun-Times, police say that Marjay Dotson, 15, and his friend, Jeremy Herred, 14, were among a group of friends standing near Leto as he was fixing his bike.
When a couple of boys approached Leto, he whipped out a gun and opened fire.
Leto’s defense attorney said the boy provoked the lifeguard and was only defending himself after the teenagers had threatened him and said they were going to steal his bike.
Surveillance video obtained by WGN-TV shows the moments Leto suddenly grabbed and aimed a handgun at one of two boys who approached him.
“The shooter’s backpack was attached to his bike somehow, and he took the backpack off his bike, turned the bike upside down, pulled out the handgun, and then everybody who was in the area just started to turn and run,” attorney Jeff Neslund said.
Witnesses say Dotson was closest to Leto when he started shooting. After hitting him in the back, Leto then turned his gun on Herred and shot him in the neck.
Both boys were rushed to the hospital, where Dotson was pronounced dead.
Herred had to undergo surgery to treat his wounds and is reportedly still in critical condition. The 14-year-old is the cousin of Laquan McDonald, a 17-year-old boy who was fatally shot 16 times by former Chicago police officer Jason Van Dyke in 2014.
Family attorneys say that doctors are concerned Herred might sustain brain damage due to the extent of his injuries.
Leto claimed that he acted in self-defense.
“Those two kids attacked me and followed me. … I defended myself, I have a license,” Leto stated, according to a police report.
Attorneys for the boys’ families are now calling for prosecutors to consider hate crime charges since the shooter is white and both boys are Black.
“To claim self-defense is absurd when people are running away from you, they’re unarmed, they’re teenagers. So, again, it just boggles my mind,” Neslund said.
Family members also want to know why Leto would resort to such devastating violence.
“It’s all at the hands of this one individual who chose to bring a weapon to work at a place where he has made a pledge and a vow to save lives,” said Rev. Marvin Hunter, a relative of Herred and Laquan McDonald, per CBS News. “At least we now know that this person that has done this thing will not just go free.”
Leto was hired by the Chicago Park District in 2023 as a seasonal lifeguard. He was placed on an unpaid, emergency suspension, according to reports. Even though Leto has a concealed-carry license, he violated park district policy by bringing that gun to work, prosecutors said.
In a statement, attorneys for Dotson’s and Herred’s families said:
There is no justification or excuse for this heinous criminal act by an employee of the Chicago Park District. While no amount of justice can ever restore Marjay’s life or fully heal Jeremy’s wounds, the families take solemn relief that the justice system is now engaged with the announcement of criminal charges against the shooter. They stand firm in their belief that through the diligent work of prosecutors and the courts, justice will be served. In this time of collective heartbreak, the families extend their gratitude to the first responders, including local football coaches at the park, all the medical care providers, the Chicago Police Department, and community members who have shown compassion and solidarity.
The deadly shooting is not the first time the Chicago man has been involved in a shooting.
According to WLS, Leto allegedly shot a woman’s two dogs in 2023 and killed one of them. He also claimed self-defense at the time and was not charged.
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