Benito Juarez Community Academy shooting

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Benito Juarez Community Academy shooting
Part of mass shootings in the United States and school shootings in the United States
Location Benito Juarez Community Academy, Pilsen, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
DateDecember 16, 2022;3 months ago (2022-12-16)
c. 2:30 p.m.
Attack type
 School shooting, alleged gang violence, mass shooting
Deaths2
Injured2
PerpetratorChristian Acevedo (charged)

On December 16, 2022, Brandon Perez, aged 15, and Nathan Billegas, aged 14, were killed by gunfire while standing at a school plaza on the grounds of Benito Juarez Community Academy in Chicago. It occurred at 2:30 pm, following class dismissal, following a dispute about suspected gang affiliation. Two other students suffered from non-life threatening gunshot injuries.

Contents

The shooting erupted after a possible flare-up between alleged La Raza Nation gang members and rival gang members. [1] [2] The alleged gunman, a 16-year-old male ex-student of the school, was arrested.

Shooting

The shooting took place by a small bridge connecting two wings on school grounds. According to Thomas Darman, an assistant state's attorney, said the shooting occurred when one of the people who was shot walked over to another group the alleged shooter was with and heard someone say there were La Raza Nation gang members in the group. The alleged shooter then walked over to the other party in question, and asked if they were in a rival gang. The alleged victim asked why the suspect wanted to know why, and the suspect opened fire. The two killed were both shot multiple times. The suspect subsequently got into a car, which then drove off. [3]

Billegas and Perez were both shot in the heads; one died on scene and the other died while hospitalized. The two wounded victims were hospitalized in good condition by the following day. One was a 15-year-old boy who was shot in the thigh and shoulder, and the other was a 15-year-old girl whose thigh was grazed by a bullet. The people were shot outside the school building, but on school grounds; all victims were transported at Stroger Hospital. [4]

Fourteen shell casings were recovered by Chicago Police Department officers from the crime scene. [3]

Background

Chicago has had issues with gun violence affecting the safety of school-aged children. In 2022, 57 school-aged children were fatally shot, on or off school grounds. Earlier in December 2022, a 15-year-old boy was shot and killed near Michele Clark Magnet High School. Benito Juarez is a predominately Latino-American high school serving mainly lower-income students in Chicago's Lower West Side area, located southwest of Downtown Chicago. [5] [6] [4]

The suspect was allegedly expelled from the school for academic and behavioral-related issues. [3]

The suspect was arrested at his residence; three others were detained for questioning related to the crime. Three firearms were recovered by police, which had switches on them to make them fully automatic, and a fourth gun without automatic switches was recovered. All of the firearms were loaded and had extended magazines. [3]

On February 10, 2023, a 16-year-old boy was charged as an adult in connection with the shooting. The suspect, Christian Acevedo, was charged as an adult with two counts of murder and two counts of attempted murder. Acevedo was a student who was expelled from the high school. He has been denied bond. [7] [8] [3]

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References

  1. ↑ Community mourns students killed outside Benito Juarez high school, calls on officials to address violence in schools Chicago Tribune, December 18, 2022
  2. ↑ Prosecutor: Gang dispute led to shooting at Chicago school Associated Press, February 12, 2023
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 "Judge denies bond for teen charged in deadly shooting outside Benito Juarez High School". WGNTV. February 11, 2023.
  4. 1 2 Brad Parks; Andy Rose. "2 teens killed, 2 wounded in shooting outside Chicago high school". CNN.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  5. ↑ Nader Issa and Emmanuel Camarillo. "CPS: Trauma in public schools following student murders". Chicago Sun-Times.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: uses authors parameter (link)
  6. ↑ "15-year-old fatally shot near CPS High School, police say". WTTW.
  7. ↑ Rosemary Sobol; Shanzeh Ahmad (February 10, 2023). "Boy, 16, charged as adult in Benito Juarez high school shooting that left 2 students dead, 2 wounded". Chicago Tribune.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  8. ↑ "Benito Juarez shooting: Former student held without bail in high school mass shooting that killed 2". FOX32 Chicago.
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