The Chicago Sun-Times reported that 13-year-old 8th grader Robert Freeman was shot repeatedly at close range in West Pullman last Wednesday, dying soon after, in a case of mistaken identity. Police sources told reporters that the shooter had meant to kill a different boy, making the shooting all the more tragic.
As of Friday, police were still looking for suspects and appealed to the public for help. Chicago criminal defense attorneys typically advise their clients to plead guilty to such serious crimes when there's enough evidence to convict, but each case is different.
The spot on the 11500 block of South Perry where the boy was shot multiple times was marked with bloodstains and a memorial of teddy bears. Doctors told grieving mother Theresa Lumpkin they found 22 bullet holes in her son's body:
"That's too many to...give a 13-year-old child. You're not supposed to kill a baby, not a kid. Period."
A relatively large group of young people were hanging out in the street at approximately 8 p.m. when the killers approached and opened fire on the boy. Theresa Lumpkin ran from her home after the shooting and found her son dying in the street.
The neighborhood has had more than its share of violent crime recently, including two other killings within one block of where Robert Freeman was murdered in the past two years. And just in July, the same city block saw two armed robberies and six batteries; the shooting death of 16-year-old Jeremiah Sterling happened just one mile away.
Elonda Jackson's 15-year-old nephew, Percy Rounds, was shot to death two years ago less than 100 yards from last week's shooting. The murder is still unsolved, leaving plenty of unanswered questions for the still-grieving mother:
"It grips you to the depths of your soul.... You just want to know why, but we still don't."
Related Resources:
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Murder (LawBrain)
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Contact a Chicago Criminal Attorney (FindLaw)
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Criminal Prosecutors Push for Tougher Gang Laws (FindLaw Blotter Blog)
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