As a crowd gathered in Douglass Park demanding answers, Jeremy Herred lay in a hospital bed “fighting for his life” after a shooting that killed another teen.
The lifeguard who opened fire has resigned from the park district, officials said Tuesday. But for many in the community, that step falls short of the justice they’re seeking.
Jeremy, 14, and his friend Marjay Dotson, 15, were at the park around 7 p.m. Thursday when they were shot by a Chicago Park District lifeguard.
The lifeguard, Charles Leto, 55, was fixing his bike chain, and as the teenagers approached, Leto allegedly grabbed a handgun from his backpack and fired shots, striking Marjay in the back and Jeremy in the neck, according to Chicago police and witnesses. He tried shooting a third teen and missed.
Leto said he acted in self-defense. He’s been charged with first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder, aggravated battery and aggravated discharge of a firearm. Leto’s attorney couldn’t be reached for comment.
Marjay was pronounced dead at Stroger Hospital, officials said.
Jeremy, who is a cousin of Laquan McDonald, the 17-year-old boy who was shot to death in 2014 by Chicago police Officer Jason Van Dyke, remained hospitalized and was “still fighting for his life,” his family said at the rally Tuesday afternoon.
Jeremy’s family, along with Ald. Monique Scott (24th), the Rev. Marvin Hunter and dozens of others from the community gathered near the scene of the shooting demanding accountability and an apology from the Chicago Park District.
“There are not many words that I can say to comfort anybody’s family,” Scott said. “They let their children out to come swim or to frequent the park, and you’re gunned down like two dogs. The pain that I think many of my community feels, it’s heartbreaking.”
Scott and others questioned why the park district hired Leto. A Lake View woman says Leto shot two of her dogs in February 2023, killing one and maiming the other. He claimed self-defense in that case and no charges were filed.
Leto was hired as a lifeguard four months later.
Since then, Leto has allegedly had several confrontations with staff members and park patrons while on duty.
“Everybody deserves to live, but we do not deserve to die by someone who is supposed to keep kids safe, and that is the Chicago Park District lifeguard,” Scott said. “In no way possible was he supposed to be allowed to work around our children.”
Scott said park district officials needed to make changes to their policies to ensure the safety of children.
The Chicago Park District announced Tuesday that Leto no longer works for the agency and was placed on the park’s “Do Not Hire” list, making him ineligible for future employment.
The day after the shooting, the park district placed Leto on unpaid emergency suspension.
The park district took swift action toward terminating his employment under the process outlined in its collective bargaining agreement, the agency said in a statement. But Leto resigned in lieu of termination.
“This horrific act of violence has shaken us all, and we are committed to doing everything in our power to ensure that nothing like this ever happens again,” park district spokeswoman Michele Lemons said in the statement.
A petition drafted by the Chi North Lawndale Chamber of Commerce was shared at the rally. It contained a list of demands for the park district.
The petition demanded a public apology from the Chicago Park District, permanent security throughout the park, an audit and cultural competency improvement plan for park staff serving the Black community, and mandatory background checks for all park staff across Chicago.
“We are here as Black people saying that we are not accepting the fact that our young people’s blood can be spilled on the grounds of a place that they supposed to be safe at,” said Hunter, who is Jeremy’s great-great uncle and works with Marjay’s father.
The park district said it has launched a comprehensive internal review to understand what led to the shooting and “to determine what steps must be taken to strengthen safety and accountability.”
“We fully support the right of community members to gather peacefully in our parks and exercise their First Amendment rights, as members of the North Lawndale community did tonight in Douglass Park,” the park district said. “We have received the petition circulated by the Chi North Lawndale Chamber of Commerce, and we look forward to meeting with petition organizers and stakeholders to address their concerns and work together toward accountability, healing, and lasting change.”
Funeral services for Marjay will be held at 10 a.m. on July 9 at Healing Temple Church of God in Christ, 4941 W. Chicago Ave.
