Chicago Lifeguard Charged with Murder After Video Shows Him Shooting Black Teens He Claimed were Trying to Steal His Bike [VIDEO]

A Chicago Park District lifeguard has been charged with murder and attempted murder, after shooting two teenagers, one fatally, near the Douglass Park swimming pool on Thursday.

Charles Leto, 55, has been charged with one count each of first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder, aggravated battery, and aggravated discharge of a firearm.

One of the Victims is Cousin of Laquan McDonald, Who was Fatally Shot by Police in 2014

According to police, two teenage boys, aged 14 and 15, were in the park around 7 p.m. on Thursday near the pool and basketball court moments after the pool closed, when Leto allegedly shot them.

The 14-year-old was shot in the neck, and the 15-year-old was shot in the back, police said. Both teens were taken to Stroger Hospital in serious condition. The 15-year-old later succumbed to his injuries. He has been identified as Marjay Dotson by the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office.

The younger boy’s family has identified him as Jeremy Herred, and confirmed that he made it out of surgery, but is still fighting for his life in the intenstive care unit at Stroger Hospital. They also confirmed that he is the cousin of Laquan McDonald, who was shot and killed by police in 2014.

Leto Claims He Shot in Self-Defense After the Teens Tried to Steal His Bike

A Chicago Fire Department source said Leto is a Chicago Park District lifeguard who was fixing a bike before he sprang up and began shooting. Leto said he has a valid concealed and carry license and shot at the teens in self-defense after they followed him, attacked him and attempted to steal his bike.

As reported by the Chicago Tribune, witnesses said the two boys approached the man as part of a group as he was fixing his bike near the park fieldhouse and that the man took a gun out of his backpack and fired two shots, according to the report.

Surveillance footage being circulated on social media also captures the moments leading up to the shooting.

The following video is graphic in nature. Viewer discretion is advised:

Attorney Representing the Victims Claims Dotson and Herred Were Not the Ones Doing ‘Something’ to Leto’s Bike

Jeff Neslund, an attorney representing both boys’ families, said he spoke with witnesses who said there was an altercation after the Douglass Park pool closed Thursday night. “The lifeguard shooter was closing up the pool. There were some boys that did not get into the pool, and they were the ones that … did something in connection to his bike,” Neslund said.

Neslund said Dotson and Herred were not among the boys who did something to Leto’s bike. “The shooter’s backpack was attached to his bike somehow, and he took the backpack off his bike, turned the bike upside down, pulled out the handgun, and then everybody who was in the area just started to turn and run,” he said.

Neslund said, according to witnesses, Dotson was closest to Leto when he started shooting, hitting Dotson in the back. He then turned and fired at Herred, shooting him in the neck.

“To claim self-defense is absurd when people are running away from you, they’re unarmed, they’re teenagers. So, again, it just boggles my mind,” he said.