Crime & Safety
Teen Shooting Death Case Going to the Grand Jury
A grand jury will decide this week whether to indict five teenagers charged in connection to the shooting death of a Chicago teen in a Chicago Heights park.
The case against five teens charged in connection to the shooting death of another teen in a Chicago Heights park will go to a grand jury, an attorney for one of the teens said after a hearing Monday.
An indictment could be announced on Friday.
Find out what's happening in Chicago Heightswith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Police say Mikah Darko, 17, of Chicago, was shot near 15th and Hanover streets and was pronounced dead at the scene, according to police. Witnesses told police Darko was in the park when two men approached him and started shooting.
Currently, the five teens are in the custody of the Cook County Department of Corrections and have not been charged with murder. They are:
Find out what's happening in Chicago Heightswith free, real-time updates from Patch.
- Joshua A. Dean, 19, of Chicago; charged with felony armed violence, sale of a firearm/delivery and mob action, being held on $300,000 bond.
- Derrell J. Edwards, 18, of Chicago; charged with felony armed violence, sale of a firearm/delivery and mob action, being held on $500,000 bond.
- Otis M. Pruitt, 19, of Chicago; charged with charged with unlawful sale or delivery of a firearm and felony mob action, held on a $200,000 bond.
- Cortez Hurst, 18, of Chicago Heights; charged with felony armed violence, sale of a firearm, unlawful use of a weapon, theft and mob action, held on $2 million bond.
- Rhonzell F. Ard, 17, of Chicago Heights; charged with felony armed violence, unlawful use of a weapon, sale of a firearm, theft and mob action, held on $2 million bond.
At the brief hearing Friday, the teens were called in pairs as Judge Darron E. Bowden waited for them to arrive from the county Department of Corrections and for their attorneys to appear as well. By late Monday morning, everyone but Edwards had been called.
All but two of the five are so far represented by public defenders, according to court records. Pruitt's attorney, Darryl A. Goldberg, appeared with him at Monday's hearing while Dean has retained a private attorney, Karla Fiaoni.
Fiaoni told Patch the case will go to the grand jury and will be back in court on Friday, Nov. 30 in Markham. She said she had no futher comment about the case.
Take a look at past stories on this case:
- Five Teens Charged in Shooting Death of 17-Year-Old
- Suspects in Custody After Shooting Death of Chicago Teen
