3rd man charged in murder of 7-year-old girl at July 4 party
A Wisconsin man is the third man charged in a Fourth of July shooting that left a 7-yearold girl dead outside a family party on the West Side.
Terrell Boyd is the brother of Davion Mitchell, who was also charged in Natalia Wallace’s murder last month, as well as a third shooter who has not been charged, Cook County prosecutors said Tuesday.
A fourth man, Reginald Merrill, who allegedly drove the brothers to and from the block, has also been charged in the girl’s fatal shooting.
Natalia’s murder, which was captured on surveillance footage, stemmed from a gang dispute and the fatal June 29 shooting of three siblings’ other brother, authorities said.
Before ordering 30-year-old Boyd held without bail Tuesday, Judge Susana Ortiz pointed to how he was accused of “spraying the street with bullets, killing this child.”
Natalia is one of 15 children who have been shot to death in the city since June 20, according to Chicago Sun-Times records. Five of the victims were 10 years old or younger.
Natalia was playing on a sidewalk while visiting her grandmother’s house for the family party in the 100 block of North Latrobe Avenue in Austin when the three brothers got out of a car driven by Merrill, prosecutors said.
At least 20 9mm and 40-caliber shell casings were recovered after the trio fired in the direction of the party, prosecutors said.
One bullet struck Natalia in the forehead and another wounded a 32-year-old man believed to be the siblings’ target, prosecutors said.