Chicago Lifeguard Charged in Deadly Shooting of Teen

A Chicago Park District lifeguard is facing murder and attempted murder charges after allegedly shooting two teens last Thursday night, killing one and critically injuring the other in Douglass Park.

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According to ABC7 Chicago, surveillance footage shared with the station shows the teens walking near Charles Leto, who was sitting with his bike.

The video then shows Leto getting up and pointing a gun at one of the teens. Prosecutors say 15-year-old Marjay Dotson was killed, and 14-year-old Jeremy Herred remains hospitalized with serious injuries.

Leto, a Marine veteran and concealed carry license holder, is accused of purposely targeting the boys. His defense attorney claims he acted in self-defense after the teens threatened him and said they were going to steal his bike. Prosecutors counter that he violated Park District policy by bringing a firearm onto the grounds.

Further investigation by CBS News Chicago revealed that this is not Leto’s first shooting incident. In 2023, a neighbor reported that Leto shot her two dogs in Lakeview, killing one and severely injuring the other.

The neighbor, Jackie Michaels, told CBS she saw Leto come out of his garage and shoot both animals. Her surviving dog, Skokie, has undergone multiple surgeries to reconstruct his paws and still struggles to walk.

“He pointed the gun right at me that day,” Michaels told CBS News Chicago. Leto was not charged in the dog shooting after claiming he felt threatened.

Months later, he was hired as a lifeguard by the Park District.

Michaels expressed outrage upon learning of the teen shooting.

“A crazy person – don’t you think there’s something wrong with somebody who keeps shooting people and dogs?” she told the station.

Due to the lack of charges in the 2023 incident, the shooting did not appear on Leto’s background check when he was employed by the city.

The Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office has not yet commented on the previous dog shooting case. Leto is currently being held without bond.

Do you believe this Chicago lifeguard’s shootings were justified acts of self-defense, or do they show a dangerous pattern of behavior?

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