![]() ![]() Among those recent charged under VICAR were five reputed members of the South Side’s O-Block gang accused in October of opening fire on rapper FBG Duck, whose real name was Carlton. Chief Keef claimed, though, that his Twitter account had been hacked.Charged were Charles Liggins, also known as “C Murda,” Kenneth Roberson, Christopher Thomas, Tacarlos Offerd, and Marcus Smart, according to federal documents. Keef was accused of taunting Coleman in a tweet in the hours after his death. The issue of retaliatory violence among Chicago’s expansive street rap scene goes back at least a decade.Īmong the other incidents documented by police: The 2012 slaying of Joseph Coleman, an 18-year-old rapper who went by the name “Lil JoJo” and a major rival of rap star Chief Keef, “There’s been an ongoing conflict between his gang and another.” “What we’re seeing is a manifestation of a larger problem, which is that way too many young men, and particularly young men of color, have access to guns and are willing to use those guns to settle petty grievances,” Lightfoot said. Mayor Lori Lightfoot at the time described Weekly as someone who “fancies himself a rapper but is also a member of a gang.” She said he had been “livestreaming his travels through the city and he was found.” “He would help anybody,” Weekly’s aunt, Sherrie Weekly, told the Tribune after the shooting. Robinson was also a rapper who performed under the name FBG Brick. His older brother Jermaine Robinson was shot and killed in a double homicide in Woodlawn on the South Side in 2017, according to police and Weekly’s Apple Music biography. Weekly’s family, meanwhile, has described him as a talented musician with a “big heart” who struggled with violence and gang conflicts. ![]() “We’re always concerned about retaliatory violence,” Brown said. In the wake of Weekly’s slaying, the Police Department issued an advisory to officers in at least four police districts - Wentworth, Grand Crossing, Gresham and Englewood - to use “extreme caution” because of the “high probability of further violence.” Lausch at the news conference declined to discuss where those charged allegedly might rank in the street gang, but said in general, the nature of that kind of attack would suggest members of some fearlessness and importance. The indictment also charged the five defendants with shooting the other two victims, who both survived. His girlfriend, who told police she was waiting in a parked car, was shot twice in the left wrist and a 36-year-old man was hit in the back and leg. Weekly was taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. ![]() ![]() He will appear on the federal charges at a later date, according to the U.S. Roberson, 27, was already being held without bond at the Cook County Jail on charges he shot a man in Dolton earlier this year, court records show. Liggins, Thomas and Smart waived a detention hearing for now and were ordered detained. The judge set a detention hearing for Friday afternoon for Offerd. Prosecutors asked that all four defendants be held without bond pending trial, saying they’re dangers to the community, flight risks and are possibly facing the death penalty. Smart said he’s a church janitor, and Offerd, a Fenger High School grad, said he’s a dishwasher. Courthouse, where they entered not guilty pleas through their attorneys.Īsked what they did for a living, Liggins told the judge he’s been working at Corner Bakery and Popeye’s Chicken. Liggins, 30, Offerd, 30, Thomas, 23, and Smart, 22, were arrested Wednesday morning and appeared via telephone at the Dirksen U.S. The charges carry a mandatory minimum of life in prison upon conviction and prosecutors could also seek the death penalty. They were accused of committing murder in aid of racketeering as well as various firearms offenses. We’re dedicated to this.”Ĭharged were Charles Liggins, also known as “C Murda,” Kenneth Roberson, Christopher Thomas, Tacarlos Offerd, and Marcus Smart, according to federal documents. “It’s the message that we’re serious about our collaboration,” Brown said. Last month, Brown announced he was distributing many of its community safety team officers - originally a roving citywide unit tasked with responding to neighborhoods experiencing upticks in violence - to specific units throughout the department as part of his strategy to focus on gangs, guns and drugs. “We are going after gangs in this city,” Brown said.īrown doubled down on his message that the Police Department is targeting gang violence and is serious about bringing in federal help. Chicago police Superintendent David Brown praised the collaboration between local and federal law enforcement in solving the case and said it’s just one example of holding violent offenders accountable. ![]()
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