Corey Morgan
Just weeks after an exclusive Chicago Crusader report on a series of murders that may have been related to the grotesque murder of nine-year-old Tyshawn Lee, the brother of one of those murder victims has been arrested and charged with slaughtering Lee. Officials confirmed his death was the result of the ongoing gang war the Crusader reported about. Corey Morgan, a known gang member to Chicago police, has been charged in the case along with two other men. Morgan is the brother of Tracey Morgan, who was killed on Oct. 13 in a drive-by shooting at 82nd and Lafay- ette. Morgan’s mother was also shot in the incident but survived. Police believe that shooting was the reason Morgan targeted the Joplin School second grader as he sat on a swing set Nov. 2 at Dawes Park.
An arrest warrant has also been issued for Kevin Edwards, 22, and a third suspect Dwright Boone-Doty is already in custody. According to Cook County prosecutors, the trio was sitting inside a black SUV around 4 p.m. at Dawes Park when they saw Lee. The three engaged the boy while he was playing on the swing set. Two of the men returned to the vehicle while another one lured Lee to a nearby alley. Lee was shot five times, with the fatal one being a shot to the head, prosecutors alleged in court. They said Morgan had vowed revenge after the killing of his brother.
“He allegedly said since his brother was killed and his mama was shot he was going to kill grandmas, mamas, kids and all,” said Assistant State’s Attorney George Canellis Jr.
The Crusader has previously reported that Tracey Morgan was the third fatality in the recent gang war, which began in August when Adarius Hayes was murdered. That was followed by the murder of innocent victim Brianna Jenkins, who was sitting in a car with a known gang member – the intended target.
Former police superintendent, when announcing the arrest of Morgan told the media he believes the department is close to apprehending all of the suspects in those murders as well. He credited the community for stepping forward and giving his detectives the information they needed to make arrests in Lee’s case.
“We received a lot of tips and solid information in this case and that is how we were able to affect so many arrests,” McCarthy said. “It’s a credit to the people of Auburn/Gresham that stepped up because they want their community back.”
The Crusader also received similar information from area residents. Prosecutors and police would not discuss the role each of the suspects played in the crime. However in court, Canellis did state the SUV believed to have been used by the suspects in the murder had been recovered and that the Global Positioning System in the vehicle showed it had been parked in the area of the park from where Tyshawn was lured.
In an ironic twist, Karla Lee, mother of the slain child, said she knew Morgan and was stunned he would have killed her child. She said the two used to play together as children. McCarthy said the department is committed to incapacitating the remaining gang elements to put an end to the feud once and for all. Tyshawn’s father, Pierre Stokes, was of no help in apprehending the suspects, according to police. Police and neighborhood sources tell the Crusader he is also a suspect in several other crimes in the Auburn/- Gresham community.
