JUDGE GAVE TEEN ‘ONE MORE CHANCE’ BEFORE FATAL SHOOTING BY COPS
The killing of 16-year-old Pierre Loury, who was shot by a Chicago Police officer after a foot chase on April 11, is like most stories involving violent death.
Tangled. Tragic. Confusing. Contradictory.
However, Sneed is told four days before Loury’s death, the trajectory of his life might have been different.
Last week, the family of Loury filed a federal wrongful-death lawsuit against the city alleging racist practices by the Police Department and blasting the police for having “no regard for the sanctity of life when it comes to people of color.”
But Sneed hears four days before Loury was shot after scaling a fence following a chase by police, he appeared before Juvenile Court Judge William G. Gamboney on a probation violation stemming from a robbery case involving a female who had been pulled off a train by a group of people, beaten and robbed.
“Loury had been brought in on a probation violation on April 7 by his probation officer because he was not in compliance with the requirements,” a Sneed source familiar with the case said.
“But rather than take Loury into custody, the judge decided to give him one more chance. It’s not unusual. Happens all the time,” the source added.
“So Pierre Loury goes back on the street and sadly winds up dead.”
Last week, First Deputy Police Supt. John J. Escalante told the press Loury was pursued after bolting from a car pulled over because it matched the description of a vehicle used in an earlier shooting that night.
Escalante also claimed Loury was a documented gang member who had “prior contact” with the police; the officer opened fire after the teen turned and pointed a gun at him; and a semi-automatic gun was recovered.
Sources told the Sun-Times the teen “was carrying a gun that fell from his waistband,” and that he “picked up the gun after he landed on the other side of the fence.”
An autopsy showed Loury had been shot in the chest.
“My baby was running from them so that he could get away and have a better chance, so he could have a better life,” the boy’s aunt, Karen Winters, told the Chicago Tribune.
How tragic . . . and confusing is that?
The Prince file . . .
Unanswered questions in the sudden death of the legendary, iconic singer Prince may be raising flags, but one comment from Kerry Gordy, the former Paisley Park executive veep, is curious.
Prince reportedly did not use the elevator in his compound where his body was found.
Royal rantings . . .
Happy belated 90th birthday Queen Elizabeth!
Yum! Your former Royal Chef Darren McGrady, who brought his royal basters to the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health last week, just rang Sneed.
To wit: A slice of your favorite chocolate sponge cake, baked by McGrady, sold for $200 at an auction Thursday night in honor of the Queen to raise funds for the university’s Department of Urology.
Foodie Fodder: McGrady, who runs a catering company in Dallas, TheRoyalChef.com, tells Sneed: “I cooked for the queen for 11 years. There were 10 chefs in the Palace kitchen. The queen hates garlic; drinks gin and DuBonnet, passes up wine; loves chocolate — and pheasant, partridge and salmon hunted and caught on her estate.
“I was also lucky to serve Princess Diana after she conquered bulimia; she loved stuffed peppers; she told me to deal with the fat; she’d deal with the carbs in the gym,” McGrady added.
“And one of the most memorable times was hosting Oprah Winfrey for lunch at Kensington Palace,” he said. (It had something to do with high-carb tomato mousse and lobster, don’t chaknow.)
Sneedlings . . .
I spy: Actress Yaya “Chicago Med” DaCosta, who starred in Lifetime’s Whitney Houston biopic, spotted dining at C Chicago Friday. . . . Saturday’s birthdays: George Lopez, 55; Gigi Hadid, 21, and Jesse Soffer, 32. . . . Sunday’s birthdays: Kelly Clarkson, 34; Barbra Streisand, 74, and Cedric the Entertainer, 52.