Cops find ‘definitive’ link between Dakotah Earley case and a shooting near The Bean: sources

Chicago police have made important progress as they work to arrest the people who brutally shot and robbed 23-year-old Dakotah Earley in Lincoln Park nearly one week ago, according to three sources who spoke with CWBChicago. And, one source said, investigators have established a “definitive” link between Earley’s case and a shooting near The Bean this week.

Earley’s family on Wednesday shared of picture of him resting at Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center as his mother, Joy Dobbs, sat by his side.

“There’s nothing greater than a mother’s love for her child. ❤️,” Earley’s family said on their GoFundMe page, which has raised over $96,000 toward his recovery and other costs.

Joy Dobbs keeps watch on her son, Dakotah Earley, at Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center in May 2022. | GoFundMe

“He seems to becoming more alert each day, and more aware or his surroundings in the room. The doctors continue to monitor his left leg and foot as this has been one of the larger concerns,” the family said Wednesday. Surgeons planned to remove a bullet from his jaw later in the day.

On the investigative front, police have found a specific, concrete link between Earley’s case and a shooting on Michigan Avenue near The Bean on Tuesday evening, sources said.

Police who handled the Loop shooting quickly found a “very strong connection” with the Lincoln Park case and investigators have identified at least one suspect by name.

However, the sources all cautioned that compiling everything necessary to win a prosecutor’s approval of charges may time.

Another cited “challenges” that detectives “may not overcome right now.” This individual called the link between the two shootings “definitive.”

One suspect’s social media accounts, reviewed by CWB Chicago, include many images of himself posing with and pointing handguns.

Members of the robbery crew associated with Earley’s case are believed to have struck at least three more times in Uptown and Rogers Park shortly after the downtown shooting. But no associated robberies are known to have occurred Wednesday evening into Thursday morning.

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CWBChicago was created in 2013 by five residents of Wrigleyville and Boystown who had grown disheartened with inaccurate information that was being provided at local Community Policing (CAPS) meetings. Our coverage area has expanded since then to cover Lincoln Park, River North, The Loop, Uptown, and other North Side Areas. But our mission remains unchanged: To provide original public safety reporting with better context and greater detail than mainstream media outlets. Our editorial email address is news@cwbchicago.com