Man, 18, Charged With Killing Boy, 14, Had Warrant At Time Of Shooting

WAUKEGAN, IL — A exchange of gunfire between North Chicago teenagers has left a 14-year-old boy dead and an 18-year-old man charged with his murder.

Amireon Williams has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder in the fatal shooting of Lavon'ta Brown. He is also charged with one count of obstructing justice, records show. Authorities said Williams was arrested after jumping out of a fleeing car and trying to hide in a Home Depot shortly after the shooting.

Investigators from the Lake County Major Crimes Task Force and North Chicago police believe the 14-year-old was specifically targeted for a gang-related murder, authorities said.

According to the Lake County State's Attorneys Office, the 14-year-old was walking with a friend in the parking lot of the Citgo gas station at the intersection of 10th and Jackson streets when Williams and three other people pulled up in a car.

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Williams, who was sitting in the rear driver's side seat, rolled down the window and opened fire at Brown before the driver fled the scene, prosecutors said.

According to a preliminary account from a task force spokesperson, Brown "exchanged gunfire" with someone in the car. Authorities did not say how many, if any, firearms were found as part of the investigation.

Waukegan police found a car matching a description, which soon crashed into the parking lot of the Waukegan Home Depot store at 2001 Belvedere Road, according to the spokesperson. Williams and two others were taken into custody inside the business.

Following an initial court appearance Monday, Williams was ordered held at Lake County Jail ahead of trial unless he can come up with the $300,000 cash portion of his bail.

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At the time of his arrest, Williams also had an active arrest warrant on four counts of aggravated unlawful use of a weapon connected to a December 2021 incident in Waukegan.

That warrant was issued in January, according to court records. Then, in March, Williams was the subject of an emergency order of protection, which was dismissed last month for want of prosecution.

Lake County State's Attorney Eric Rinehart's staff is "engaging" its law enforcement partners and state and local officials to "pro-actively prevent these tragedies," the county prosecutor said in a statement.

“This is a senseless and outrageous killing," Rinehart said. "Our office will seek justice for Lavon’ta, and we have reached out to his family to provide further support."