A late-night robbery attempt in Chicago’s West Pullman neighborhood ended with a 16-year-old boy fatally shot after police say he tried to hold up a 27-year-old man on Wednesday.
According to ABC7 Chicago, the confrontation unfolded on the 11700 block of South Normal Avenue when the teen allegedly approached the older man and pulled a gun. Police told the station the 27-year-old fired a single shot that struck the teen in the chest. The teenager was taken to a hospital and later pronounced dead, and officers said they recovered two handguns at the scene. The 27-year-old was taken in for questioning as detectives continued their work.
Violence on the Far South Side
The deadly encounter drops into a neighborhood already rattled by recent gun violence. West Pullman has seen a run of armed robberies and shootings in recent months, including at least one other case where a teen was wounded in a late-February incident, as previously reported in a late-February incident.
Citywide, killings fell last year, a trend documented by WBEZ. Public-safety officials have warned, though, that even as the overall numbers improve, pockets of the city can still see clusters of serious violence, and West Pullman has been one of those places lately.
Legal Questions Ahead
Under Illinois law, a person may use deadly force when they reasonably believe it is necessary to prevent imminent death, great bodily harm, or the commission of a forcible felony, per 720 ILCS 5/7-1. In practice, that means prosecutors typically review any fatal-force case to decide whether the shooting appears legally justified.
The Cook County State’s Attorney’s office says its Felony Review and Law Enforcement Review units evaluate whether criminal charges are appropriate before any filing is made.
Police said their investigation was ongoing and that they had not released the identities of either the 16-year-old or the 27-year-old, ABC7 Chicago reports. Anyone with information is urged to contact Chicago police detectives.
