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Two teenagers shot over the summer at the Douglas Park pool were \u201cunarmed and never threatened,\u201d the former Chicago Park District lifeguard charged with opening fire, according to a new lawsuit. <\/p>\n
Former lifeguard Charles Leto, 55, is accused of fatally shooting<\/a> 15-year-old Marjay Dotson and wounding 14-year-old Jeremy Herred on June 26 at the West Side pool.<\/p>\n \u201cKids [are] supposed to be able to go to the park to play,\u201d Jeremy Herred Sr., Jeremy\u2019s father, said at a new conference announcing the lawsuit Wednesday. \u201cOur kids went to the park to play and got shot by an employee. It\u2019s crazy.\u201d<\/p>\n The boy\u2019s families filed a lawsuit this week against Leto and the Chicago Park District, who they alleged hired and promoted Leto despite reports of aggressive and threatening behavior. <\/p>\n Leto was fixing his bike chain at the pool when a group approached and he allegedly grabbed a handgun from his backpack and fired shots, striking Marjay in the back and Jeremy in the neck, according to Chicago police and witnesses.<\/p>\n According to a police report, Leto claimed he was acting in self-defense, telling responding officers, \u201cThose two kids attacked me and followed me. \u2026 I defended myself, I have a license.\u201d<\/p>\n But the lawsuit claims both Jeremy and Marjay were \u201cunarmed and never threatened,\u201d Leto. <\/p>\n The boys were swimming at the pool with friends when other teenagers attempted to enter, just before closing time, according to the suit. Leto refused entry to other teenagers who then took his bike \u201cas a prank,\u201d and rode it to the other side of the pool, the lawsuit said. Leto didn\u2019t call the police or park security and retrieved the bike on his own, the lawsuit said.<\/p>\n As Leto knelt near the bike, he pulled out a handgun and \u201ceveryone in the vicinity turned to run away,\u201d the lawsuit said.<\/p>\n Marjay was struck in the back and pronounced dead at Stroger Hospital, officials said.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat should have been a great day in the summer, fun at the pool turned into a nightmare when a Chicago Park District employee pulled out a loaded handgun and started shooting indiscriminately at the park,\u201d said Jeff Neslund, an attorney for the boys\u2019 families. <\/p>\n Jeremy, who is a cousin of Laquan McDonald, the 17-year-old boy fatally shot in 2014 by Chicago police Officer Jason Van Dyke, was hit in the neck. He suffered permanent injuries and is now quadriplegic, according to the lawsuit. <\/p>\n Jeremy\u2019s younger brothers have been traumatized by the shooting, Jeremy Herred Sr. said.<\/p>\n \u201cMy 5-year-old, he really understands what happened there. He\u2019s just been a little different since it happened, more emotional,\u201d he said. \u201cMy 3-year-old, he doesn\u2019t really understand.\u201d<\/p>\n Leto, a Lake View resident, faces felony charges of first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder, aggravated battery and aggravated discharge of a firearm. A Cook County judge ordered him detained pending trial. <\/p>\n Leto was hired at the park district in 2023 and worked at various parks during his time there before resigning after the shooting.<\/p>\n The lawsuit alleged the park district breached its \u201cduty of care\u201d in hiring, retaining, and promoting Leto.<\/p>\n Months before his hiring, Leto allegedly shot two dogs, one fatally, in Lake View. The incident didn\u2019t show up on a background check because there weren\u2019t criminal charges, according to a review of the pool shooting released by the park district. <\/p>\n \u201cWe filed this lawsuit to get answers,\u201d Neslund said. \u201cWhy was someone with a violent background, who just shot and killed dogs a few months earlier … why was this man not arrested? How did this man land a job with the Chicago Park District a few months later?\u201d<\/p>\n