Man charged with murder for shooting that killed Lavontay White

CHICAGO (Sun-Times Media Wire) - A man has been charged with murder in connection with the Valentine’s Day triple shooting that left 2-year-old Lavontay White and his 26-year-old uncle dead — and injured a pregnant woman.

Devon Swan, 26, has been charged with first-degree murder in connection with the shooting, Chicago Police announced Saturday morning. Police said additional arrests are expected, and the department will announce more details at a noon press briefing at CPD headquarters.

Since 2008, Swan has been convicted of crimes including unlawful use of a weapon, armed robbery and drug possession, according to Illinois Department of Corrections records. Most recently, he was released on parole in April 2016 while serving time for drug possession and violating electronic monitoring.

The fatal attack in an alley in North Lawndale was partially captured on a Facebook Live video that was being streamed by the pregnant woman when the shooting started.

The three were in a car in the alley in the 2300 block of South Kenneth Avenue about 1:30 p.m. on Tuesday when another vehicle drove past and someone got out and pulled out a gun, police said.

Lavontay White Jr. and his uncle, Lazarec Collins, were both shot in the head, police and the Cook County medical examiner’s office said.

The 20-year-old pregnant woman, Lavontay’s aunt, was shot in the abdomen and taken to Mount Sinai Hospital, police said. A relative told the Chicago Sun-Times on Friday that she had lost the baby, but police on Saturday said the baby was fine.

The family member who provided the information about the baby, a sister of Lazarec Collins, asked that her identity be withheld.

Funeral services for Lavontay and Collins are set for Saturday, Feb. 25, at the Lawndale Christian Center at 3827 W. Ogden, with visitation at 11 a.m., according to the family member.

A GoFundMe page has been set up help with funeral arrangements for Lavontay.

Chicago Police Supt. Eddie Johnson has called Collins a “documented gang member,” saying, “We believe that this was a targeted shooting, so these people were looking for him.”