A 15-year-old boy is charged with murdering a Hyde Park Academy High School student as the victim left school earlier this year, an altercation that reportedly began as a dispute over a vape.
Police did not identify the boy because he is a juvenile. And because he is under 16, his case may remain in the juvenile justice system, where details about the proceedings and outcome could be shielded from public review.
What we do know is that witnesses told police that around 3:30 p.m. on April 15, 16-year-old Eric Billups was standing at a bus stop at 63rd Street and Stony Island Avenue, heading home from class, when a gunman wearing the school’s uniform approached, pulled a gun from a book bag, and started shooting.
Billups did not survive. Another bullet struck his 16-year-old girlfriend in the leg. She was initially listed in fair condition and recovered.
A Chicago police report filed shortly after the shooting said investigators learned that Billups and a prime suspect had planned to fight later that day, with online chatter indicating they had argued over a vape. Instead, the other boy unexpectedly confronted Billups at the bus stop and fired about 12 shots before running away. Multiple students and staff members identified the gunman for police, according to the report.
The 15-year-old is charged with first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder, and other felonies.
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