Who is Amy Eshleman? Wiki, Biography, Age, Lori Lightfoot’s Wife, Charges

Lightfoot criticized Cook County State Attorney Kim Foxx in an unrelated press conference Monday after her office declined to announce charges in the deadly West Side shooting early Friday between two gang factions. Four Corner Hustlers street scene. the Chicago Sun-Times reported.

“It’s complicated, sure, but we really urge the state’s own prosecutor’s office to get personally involved, look at the evidence,” Lightfoot told reporters. “And I think there are charges that can be brought at least against the people who started the shooting. We cannot live in a world where there is no responsibility. ”

Members of the Body Snatchers faction of the Four Corners Hustlers street gang drove to a West Side home early Friday and began firing at a residence with pistols modified into automatic weapons, according to a police report and a law enforcement source close to the matter. reported the Sun-Times.

Members of a rival faction, the Jack Boys, then fired from inside the home, hitting three suspected body snatchers, including one who died. Two of the Jack Boys were later arrested, police said. The Jack Boys initially refused to leave the home, but later arrested three suspects, including a man who was injured. More than 70 bullet casings were recovered outside the home, a source told the newspaper.

Chicago police tried to prosecute five suspects on charges of murder and aggravated assault, but the state attorney’s office refused to charge them for failing to cite sufficient evidence. Prosecutors told investigators the charges were dropped because the shooting involved “mutual combatants,” according to a police report obtained by the Sun-Times.

Lightfoot and several West Side councilors also sent Foxx a letter asking him to reconsider the decision, saying the suspects who opened fire were not acting in self-defense and noted that the shooting was caught on a police camera. WFLD reported. As a result, we simply do not understand the decision not to pursue felony charges, such as attempted murder, against the two remaining criminals who started the shooting,” the letter said.

Lightfoot and councilors said “blatant violence” must be met with “swift and safe accountability” or it would lead to more “anarchy” across the city. The letter also indicated that neither Chicago Police Superintendent David Brown nor the Chief of Detectives supported the prosecutor’s decision.

In response, Foxx noted that Lightfoot, as a former federal prosecutor, was aware of the charge’s “ethical obligation” to press charges solely supported by facts, evidence, and law. She is also fully aware that as a prosecutor we are obliged not to try cases in the media,” Foxx. said in a statement. “It is not clear why he chose to make such statements, especially in the absence of the complete information that was presented to our office by CPD.”

Detectives told Foxx’s office they “could not determine” how the shooting unfolded from the beginning, according to their statement. We reviewed the evidence that was presented to us in consultation with the detectives and they agreed that we were unable to approve the charges based on the evidence presented,” Foxx said. “However, as always, as additional evidence is collected, we are ready to press charges when appropriate.”

Foxx acknowledged the price of the “staggering violence” ravaging some of Chicago’s communities but said she was obligated to uphold ethical and legal standards when considering criminal charges. I don’t play politics,” Foxx told the Sun-Times. “We do prosecutions. And that is why we do our best not to get involved in the public upholding of cases because we recognize that as tragic and horrific as these incidents are if we want to see criminal justice and accountability, we do it in the courtroom. ”

Brown, meanwhile, has said police officers “seek charges against everyone” believed to be involved as “mutual combatants” in a violent crime. the Chicago Tribune reported. My personal opinion is that we let the jury solve it in front of a judge,” Brown said. “But again, we have to work with the state attorney. There are likely things we need to do more to present the case. And we are willing to do that. But the real answer is that when there are mutual combatants, people who shoot each other, we want to accuse everyone. ”