The father of 9-year-old Tyshawn Lee, Pierre Stokes, has been arrested for shooting three people in the Southside neighborhood of Auburn-Gresham in Chicago. These shootings are suspected to be in retaliation for the murder of Tyshawn.
It has been confirmed by the Cook County states attorney’s office that Pierre Stokes has been charged with three counts of aggravated battery with a firearm.
While walking home from his grandmother’s house, Stokes son Tyshawn Lee was approached by gang members and lured into a nearby alley where he was shot and killed. Corey Morgan was arrested as a person of interest in the shooting. Morgan was soon charged with the murder of Lee in November. Recently, Dwright Boone-Doty was also charged with first degree murder in Lee’s case. Police say Doty is the man who pulled the trigger and killed Lee.
It is believed that Stokes was involved in a shooting in October of 2015 that resulted in the death of Morgan’s brother and his mother being shot. Stokes’ son apparently suffered the consequences of his actions. Stokes denied having anything to do with his son’s death. He later said, “To be honest, I feel bad … I feel like it’s my fault.” One of the individuals who Stokes is charged with shooting has been confirmed as the girlfriend of Corey Morgan.
Chicago Police said in a statement Sunday, “Mr. Stokes who was involved in a gang lifestyle, ultimately suffered an unspeakable loss with the calculated execution of his son. Despite this, he continued to engage in the same gang activity that started this initial cycle of violence …”
A press conference held by State Attorney Anita Alvarez gave a detailed description of how Tyshawn was killed. She describes Boone-Doty promising to buy Lee something from the store to lure him to the alley and shot him in the face at pointblank range. She also mentions how Doty was working on a rap song that was going to describe Lee’s death. Alvarez later went on to say, “When we have predators running around on our streets pledging to kill grandmas and mothers and children or nothing more than senseless gang retaliation we have an unprecedented crisis on our hands.”
A third suspect, Kevin Edwards, believed to be involved in the murder of Lee is suspected to be in Iowa. Details surrounding the case are still unfolding.
