CHICAGO (AP) – A 19-year-old man has been charged with murder in the likely gang-related fatal shooting of four men in and around a South Side Chicago restaurant, police announced Wednesday.
Maurice Harris faces four counts of first-degree murder in the March 30 slayings in the South Shore neighborhood, Chicago police said in a statement. Harris was arrested Tuesday, police said. It wasn’t immediately clear whether he has a lawyer who can comment on his behalf.
Two of the men were found dead inside the restaurant, a third was found outside and a fourth was found a block away. They included two brothers whose mother worked at the restaurant.
The deaths were part of gun violence in South Shore that left seven people dead in a 12-hour period. Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson said last week the shootings were mostly due to gang conflict.
Following the deaths, Johnson promised a heavy and aggressive police presence in South Shore, saying coordinated police operations would target the people who are driving the violence.