Chicago police have arrested 2 teenagers in the shooting death of Jovan Wilson, the 15-year-old grandson of U.S. Rep. Danny Davis.
Police say Tariq Harris, a 16-year-old boy, and Dijae Banks, a 17-year-old girl, forced their way into Jovan’s home in the Englewood neighborhood on the city’s South Side around 7 p.m. Friday.
After arguing over basketball shoes and gym clothes, Harris produced a handgun and shot Jovan in the head. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
“This stems from of a dispute over shoes, basketball shoes,” police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said during a press conference on Friday.
Harris and Banks were taken into custody on Sunday. The teens are charged as adults with first-degree murder.
The 2 teens stood before Cook County Judge James Brown who ordered both held without bond on Sunday.
In a scathing rebuke, Judge Brown said, “The murdering of a young boy over articles of clothing… gym shoes demonstrates a total callous disregard over the precious nature of human life. The citizens of this city need to be protected from these defendants.”
Rep. Davis told reporters Jovan’s uncle and 3 siblings, ages 8 to 16, were at home at the time of the shooting. The children’s mother had left the home to pick up food.
According to the Chicago Tribune, there was a knock at the backdoor at about 7 p.m.
Jovan and his 16-year-old sister looked out the window and recognized Harris and Tariq as friends of their 14-year-old brother.
Harris and Tariq had exchanged clothing and shoes with Jovan’s 14-year-old brother over several weeks.
Banks told Jovan she wanted to retrieve the gym shoes from the 14-year-old boy in exchange for gym pants.
But the 14-year-old did not want to exchange the shoes until Banks gave him the pants.
When the 14-year-old opened the door a crack to speak to Banks, she forced her way into the house.
An argument ensued as Banks produced a handgun and pointed it at Jovan’s 16-year-old sister. Banks handed the gun to Harris and began fighting with Jovan’s sister.
As the girls fought, Harris allegedly slid the gun’s safety mechanism back and forth.
As Jovan stepped between Banks and his sister, Banks punched him in the face. He punched her back, and Banks asked Harris why he was allowing Jovan and his siblings to treat her that way.
Harris stepped back, raised the pistol and fired it once, striking Jovan in the neck. The 2 teens fled out the back door.
Davis was in his office when he received a call from his son breaking the news. He said he doesn’t know if better education could have prevented his grandson’s death.
“I do know that I grieve for my family,” Davis said at a press conference Friday.” I grieve for the young man who pulled the trigger. I grieve for his family, his parents, his friends, some of whom will never see him again.”
Chicago, which is home to President Barack Obama, has the highest murder rate in the country at 700.
