Boy, 17, Charged With Attempted Murder Of 13-Year-Old Evanston Girl

EVANSTON, IL — Six days after officers arrested a south suburban teenager in connection with last month's shooting of a 13-year-old Evanston girl, police announced charges have been filed against him.

A 17-year-old Sauk Village resident was arrested Aug. 11 at an unspecified location, Sgt. Ken Carter told reporters Wednesday at a news conference at which no questions were permitted.

"The juvenile has been charged as an adult, but we will not be releasing his name at this point," Carter said.

Dejuan Richardson has been ordered held without bond on a charge of attempted first-degree murder in connection with the shooting, according to court records. He has also been charged with aggravated battery, according to police and prosecutors.

The shooting took place on the evening of July 25 during a party attended by teenagers in the 1300 block of Fowler Avenue. Investigators believe the Sauk Village boy shot at least seven rounds into the gathering over a fence, according to Carter.

"The investigation indicates that another partygoer, not the victim, was the intended target of the shooting, and the Evanston Police Department is not currently seeking additional offenders at this time," he said.

According to prosecutors, Richardson was spotted in the alley next to the party by a witness who recognized him from previously being friends and playing sports together. When the witness opened the wooden fence to the alley, Richardson pointed a gun at him and fired.

The witness immediately closed the gate, but Richardson reached over the fence and fired, prosecutors said. After Richardson fled the scene, partygoers found a 13-year-old victim unconscious, sitting in a chair and bleeding from her neck.

The victim of the shooting, Marie, remained hospitalized and on life support as she turned 14 years old Monday, according to a GoFundMe online fundraiser launched on her family's behalf. Marie's family is from Rwanda and speaks English as a second language, according to the campaign's organizer.

Carter said she was the only person injured in the shooting, suffering a spinal cord injury when she was shot in the neck. Prosecutors said she has been paralyzed from the neck down and is expected to remain paraplegic

Police did not reveal any information about how the investigation led them to the teen or what evidence they have collected that indicates he was the shooter. But Carter hinted that tips from the public aided detectives.

"Had not members of our community stepped up and gave us the assistance that we needed," he said, "it is doubtful that we'd be standing here today giving a press conference."

According to prosecutors, a resident was outside of his home about a block away when he heard nine or 10 gunshots and spotted a Honda with tinted windows fleeing from the scene of the shooting. That witness was able to recall part of the license plate, which, along with video surveillance, allowed investigators to determine the car was registered to Richardson's father.

The location data on a social media app on Richardson's phone places him at the same locations the car was spotted before and after the shooting. Police in Skokie and Evanston have records of traffic stops on Richardson's father's car where he was driving, prosecutors told Cook County Associate Judge Maryam Ahmad.

According to the Cook County State's Attorney's Office, the boy that Richardson initially fired at also identified him as the shooter. On Saturday Ahmad ordered Richardson held without bail. He is due back in court on Aug. 30 for a status hearing.

Related: Girl, 13, Shot In Evanston Backyard, No One In Custody, Police Say