Teen, 18, is charged with murder in shooting death of seven-year-old girl as she sat in her dad's car at Chicago McDonald's drive-thru
A teenager has been charged with murder over the shooting death of a seven-year-old girl who was killed as she sat in her dad's car at a McDonald's drive-thru.
Marion Lewis, 18, faces a first-degree murder charge after Jaslyn Adams was killed on April 18 in Chicago's West Side.
Her father, rapper Jontae Adams, was seriously wounded in the attack.
Lewis also faces three counts of attempted murder and aggravated assault of a police officer, police Supt. David Brown said during a news conference.
A total of 19 counts have been filed against the teenager.
Other suspects who also are believed to have been involved in the killing of Adams remain at large, Brown said.
Lewis was captured Thursday while trying to steal a car on the Eisenhower Expressway after crashing his own trying to elude police, Brown said.
A murder charge and 18 other counts have been filed against Marion Lewis, 18, pictured
Lewis is charged in the killing of Jaslyn Adams, left, who was shot April 18 while sitting in her father’s car at a McDonald’s drive-thru on the city’s West Side, Brown said. Her father, Jontae Adams, right, was seriously wounded in the attack
He added: 'You can run, but you can't hide. We are going to bring you to justice for this crime. The Adams family deserves nothing less, no question at all.'
Brown would not say what investigators believed Lewis role was in the shooting.
He told reporters: 'We are saying at this point in the investigation that he was involved in the murder of Jaslyn Adams. That's our specific statement.'
Images from the scene show the car sprayed with bullet holes and shell casings all around the vehicle.
Distressing video showed police pulling Jaslyn's body from the car and putting her in a police car to rush her to hospital.
A person can be heard shouting: 'Oh s***! They killed a baby!'
Cook County Medical Examiner's Office confirmed Jaslyn was shot several times. She was pronounced dead at the hospital.
Her father, who is a rapper with prior drug convictions, was shot in the torso and has since been released from the hospital.
Police said they believe the shooting was gang related.
Police investigate a crime scene where Jontae Adams, 28, and his daughter Jaslyn, 7, were shot
The shooting unfolded at about 4.20pm on Sunday, April 18 in the McDonald's parking lot
Just hours before the shooting unfolded, Adams had posted to Facebook:
'Opps prolly downstairs waiting on me,' he wrote. 'Opps' is a slang word for opposition.
His mother, LaWanda McMullen, confirmed after the deadly shooting that her son was involved with gangs.
'I'm not going to sit here and lie and say he wasn't involved in gangs,' McMullen told the Chicago Sun Times. 'It was gang related and just stupidity.'
According to court records, Adams was convicted of an unspecified drugs offense in 2016 and was arrested for possession of heroin in 2018.
He was out on parole for the 2018 conviction at the time of the shooting.
In 2012, he was also one of several suspected gang members arrested for operating an open-air heroin market in a Chicago neighborhood.
Jaslyn Adams, 7, was hit multiple time and rushed to hospital where she was pronounced dead
Lewis was captured Thursday while trying to steal a family's car on the Eisenhower Expressway after crashing his own trying to elude police, Brown said.
He is expected to survive being shot several times by a police officer who was trying to arrest him, police have said.
Investigators had the man under surveillance on Thursday and saw him get into a car and drive off, Brown said.
As he tried to elude them, the man drove onto the expressway west of the city's business district. After he crashed his vehicle, the man tried to carjack a family traveling in the same direction.
Police confronted him and an officer shot him several times, Brown said.
Lewis was captured Thursday while trying to steal a family's car on the Eisenhower Expressway after crashing his own trying to elude police, Brown said
He is expected to survive being shot several times by a police officer who was trying to arrest him, police have sai
Jaslyn's grandmother Lawanda McMullen told NBC Chicago she felt 'overwhelmed' upon learning of the suspect's capture.
'I hope and pray to God that this is him,' McMullen said. 'We can live in peace, just a little bit, and have a little peace in our hearts and in our minds for [Jaslyn].'
A day before the arrest, Jaslyn's family and friends held a vigil for her, which was attended by the girl's father, Jontae Adams, who is still recovering from his injuries.
'I got shot once. My baby got shot six times,' he said while leaning on crutches. '[Her] last words, "Daddy." I see my daughter face down in my car. ... I want justice for my baby.'
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