Name: Man initially believed to be driver in fatal shooting of 10-year-old girl in Logan Square is now charged as the gunman
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Man initially believed to be driver in fatal shooting of 10-year-old girl in Logan Square is now charged as the gunman

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AdvertisementBy Chicago TribuneAug 06, 2020 at 4:13 pmA reputed gang member came to rival territory and opened fire on a group of adults gathered outside, wounding none of them but killing a 10-year-old girl watching TV in her living room, prosecutors said Thursday.A bullet fired by Christopher Lara came through a window and hit Lena Marie Nunez in the head, according to prosecutors.AdvertisementLara, a 19-year-old alleged member of the Maniac Latin Disciples, was charged with murder and ordered held without bail Thursday.Police initially said Lara was considered the getaway driver in the shooting, but prosecutors on Thursday said he was in fact the gunman. “(He) sprayed bullets at a number of individuals and had no concern for any safety of anybody out there,” Assistant State’s Attorney James Murphy said in court.AdvertisementWhile no eyewitnesses identified Lara, one witness’s description matched Lara’s clothing and appearance on the night of the shooting And Lara’s 2010 Mercury Mariner was captured on multiple cameras driving to and from the scene, prosecutors said.Lena was watching TV with her 8-year-old cousin in an apartment in the 3500 block of West Dickens Avenue on June 27. Outside, a group of family and friends were hanging out in front of the detached garage when Lara fired from the mouth of the alley, Murphy said.Lara fired multiple shots, and someone in the group with a concealed carry license returned fire in his direction and tried unsuccessfully to chase him down, Murphy said. Someone inside the building heard gunshots and a “thump” as Lena fell to the floor, he said.A bullet had shattered the window, struck Lena in the head, then grazed her 8-year-old cousin in the nose, prosecutors said. The younger girl’s injury was initially believed to have been from broken glass.Lena was taken to Stroger Hospital and pronounced dead.Witnesses told police that about 10 minutes before the shooting, they saw a distinctive tan-colored SUV with tinted rear windows drive past them slowly, as if scoping them out, Murphy said.AdvertisementA search for the SUV turned up surveillance footage showing it in the vicinity of the shooting moments before, Murphy said. Police soon found that it was registered to Lara, who was listed as its driver during past traffic stops, records show.Investigators went on a lengthy hunt for more video that turned up footage from private security cameras, police surveillance and even body-worn camera from an officer who responded to a “gang disturbance” featuring Lara earlier in the evening, Murphy said.Lara and two “associates” can be clearly seen in bodycam footage from the disturbance at Wabansia and Keystone avenues -- Maniac Latin Disciple territory southwest of the shooting -- a few hours before the attack, Murphy said.Lara was wearing a black baseball cap and a tan-colored tank top, with a black cloth mask under his chin, Murphy said.Before the shooting, Lara and the two other men can be seen in the Mariner going east on Armitage Avenue, into rival Imperial Gangster territory, prosecutors said.Video footage shows the SUV getting closer to the scene of the shooting, then slowing down as it approaches the block and into the alley where shots were fired, Murphy said.AdvertisementA Ring camera nearby captured audio of tires screeching just after the shooting, and various cameras show the Mariner driving west, away from the area of the attack, prosecutors said.Also, records show Lara’s cellphone “ping” off nearby cellphone towers as he made his way around the neighborhoods that night.Lara’s build and clothing, as captured on camera, matches the witness description of the shooter, Murphy said. In addition, the day after police put out a public bulletin seeking information about the SUV, Lara got a text message urging him to get rid of his car, Murphy said.Lara was taken into custody Tuesday and told police in a videotaped interview that he heard the shots that killed Lena, but that he was in his car about two miles away at the time -- an assertion contradicted by the video footage.Lara’s attorney, Assistant Public Defender Dylan Barrett, said Lara lives in Streamwood with his family, including his girlfriend and their 4-month-old son. He works in landscaping and had lined up work with a staffing agency when he was arrested, Barrett said, noting that there were no positive eyewitness identifications or physical evidence tying him to the shooting.But circumstantial evidence is still evidence, Judge Susana Ortiz said, noting that Lara was caught on “more surveillance video than I can count at this time” and ordering him held without bail.Advertisementmcrepeau@chicagotribune.comAdvertisement Advertisement

AdvertisementBy Chicago TribuneAug 06, 2020 at 4:13 pmA reputed gang member came to rival territory and opened fire on a group of adults gathered outside, wounding none of them but killing a 10-year-old girl watching TV in her living room, prosecutors said Thursday.A bullet fired by Christopher Lara came through a window and hit Lena Marie Nunez in the head, according to prosecutors.AdvertisementLara, a 19-year-old alleged member of the Maniac Latin Disciples, was charged with murder and ordered held without bail Thursday.Police initially said Lara was considered the getaway driver in the...

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The Chicago Tribune is a daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by Tribune Publishing. Founded in 1847, and formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" (a slogan for which WGN radio and television are named), it remains the most-read daily newspaper of the Chicago metropolitan area and the Great Lakes region. It had the 6th highest circulation for American newspapers in 2017.

Man initially believed to be driver in fatal shooting of 10-year-old girl in Logan Square is now charged as the gunman

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