A 17-year-old boy opened fire last month on a group of people standing outside a South Shore grocery store, killing two men and wounding more, according to Cook County prosecutors.
On Friday, Judge Mary Marubio ordered the teen, Brandon DuPart, held without bail on charges of murder and attempted murder in the March 21 shooting.
About 3:30 p.m. that day, DuPart rode a Divvy bike past the group as they stood outside the store in the 1700 block of East 79th Street while wearing a purple hoodie, prosecutors said.
He then allegedly left the bike in a nearby alley and walked past the group again, this time with his hood up and wearing a mask as he entered the store.
When DuPart exited the store a short time later, he began firing at the group with a handgun, prosecutors said.
Deshawn Champion, 32, was shot in the chest and taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center, where he died, police and the Cook County medical examiner’s office said. Antonio Wilson, 23, was taken to the hospital with gunshot wounds and was also pronounced dead, authorities said.
Two other men, both 31, were hospitalized with gunshot wounds. A fifth man, 20, who was standing with the group during that attack was not struck.
The shooting and DuPart’s flight were captured on multiple surveillance cameras, prosecutors said. After the shooting, DuPart went back to the alley for the bike and rode away, prosecutors said.
He was allegedly seen on surveillance footage discarding the purple hoodie in a dumpster, where it was later recovered by police, prosecutors said.
DuPart was arrested Wednesday after a brief foot chase with officers, who found a handgun “along the path” DuPart took while allegedly running from the officers. That gun matched shell casings found at the scene of the shooting, prosecutors said.
DuPart was also identified in a photo from surveillance footage by a person who witnessed the shooting and saw DuPart initially ride the bike past the group with his face exposed.
DuPart, who has been charged as an adult, has a prior adjudication of delinquency in juvenile court on an aggravated battery charge, prosecutors said.
Defense attorney Stefan Fenner said DuPart has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder and was recently living with his uncle.
Fenner said police had brought DuPart before a judge for a detention hearing without an attorney, despite Fenner telling them he was on his way to the police station. After arriving at the station, the lawyer claimed a detective had chuckled when telling him that DuPart had already been brought to the Juvenile Detention Center.
DuPart is expected back in court April 20.
