Boy, 17, fatally shot by Dolton police during pursuit

SUN-TIMES MEDIA WIRE - A 17-year-old boy was shot to death by a Dolton police officer during a pursuit of two carjacking suspects Tuesday afternoon in the south suburb, authorities said.

About 2:30 p.m., Dolton police officers near Sibley and Greenwood spotted a vehicle being sought in connection with a carjacking in Hazel Crest, according to Dolton police. The officers tried to stop the vehicle, but it sped away and a chase ensued.

The suspects, two 17-year-old boys, led the officers on a pursuit to the northbound lanes of the Bishop Ford Freeway (I-94) near 130th Street, where their vehicle struck a semi truck, police said. The suspects then jumped out of the vehicle.

One of the boys pulled out a pistol and was shot by a Dolton police officer, according to Dolton Police Chief Robert Collins Jr.

The boy, identified as 17-year-old Darreon J. Neal who lived in Markham, was taken to Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, where he was pronounced dead at 5:59 p.m., the Cook County medical examiner’s office said. An autopsy Wednesday found he died of a gunshot wound to the back, and his death was ruled a homicide.

The second suspect was taken into custody about an hour after the shooting. He was found hiding in brush about 300 yards away, police said. Two guns were recovered from the scene.

That 17-year-old boy was identified as a suspect in a previous Country Club Hills hold-up and charged with armed robbery, Dolton police said on Friday. He was expected to face charges in Dolton of aggravated fleeing and unlawful use of a weapon, and he could face more from the alleged carjacking in Hazel Crest.

The Illinois State Police Public Integrity Task Force will investigate the police-involved shooting. No officers were injured in the incident.