Overview

• An internal review completed July 15 shows that Charles Leto passed all required background checks despite multiple unrecorded verbal altercations and a 2023 uncharged dog-shooting incident.
• Prosecutors have charged Leto with murder, attempted murder and two aggravated firearms counts for the June 26 shooting that killed 15-year-old Marjay Dotson and critically wounded 14-year-old Jeremy Herred.
• Surveillance video and witness statements contradict Leto’s self-defense claim that the teens attacked him before he fired.
• The Chicago Park District will install permanent security at Douglass Park, expand de-escalation and mental health training, revise firearm policies and centralize staff discipline and complaint records.
• Families and community leaders are calling for a hate crime investigation over the racial dynamics of the shooting and broader safety reforms in city parks.