The Crusader Newspaper Group

Third Suspect In Slaying Of Tyshawn Lee Arrested Downstate

By CBS Chicago

The last suspect wanted in connection with the slaying of 9-year-old Tyshawn Lee has been arrested after being pulled over in a traffic stop downstate.

The Vermilion County Sheriff’s office confirmed Kevin Edwards, 23, was arrested around after a deputy pulled over a vehicle for a traffic violation at around 6:30 p.m. Saturday in Danville. Vermilion County Sheriff’s Capt. Michael Hartshorn said Edwards was a passenger in the vehicle, and fled on foot after the vehicle was pulled over. A deputy chased Edwards and caught him about a block away.

Edwards allegedly gave police a fake name, but later revealed his true identity after he was taken to the Vermilion County Jail, Hartshorn said. Vermilion County investigators believe Edwards might have been in the area since January, using a false name.

Edwards was wanted on an arrest warrant for first-degree murder in the fatal shooting of Tyshawn Lee on Nov. 2, 2015.

Chicago Police Department spokesman Anthony Guglielmi confirmed investigators were working with the Vermilion County Sheriff to bring Edwards back to Chicago.

Two other men – 22-year-old Dwright Boone-Doty and 27-year-old Corey Morgan – also have been charged with Tyshawn’s murder.

Authorities have said the shooting was retaliation for another gang killing tied to the boy’s father. Investigators have said he was targeted in retribution for the killing of Morgan’s brother, Tracey Morgan, who was gunned down three weeks before Tyshawn was killed. Morgan’s mother was shot in the arm during the attack.

c-3-14-1 tyshawn

“This was a targeted assassination by [Dwright Boone-Doty], Kevin Edwards, and Corey Morgan. These are calculated killers whose actions define the words brutality and cowardice,” First Deputy Police Supt. John Escalante said in March, when he was the acting superintendent.

Boone-Doty allegedly planned to torture the child by cutting off his fingers and ears. He allegedly lured Tyshawn away from a basketball court by offering to take him to a store, and then shot him multiple times in an alley.

Prosecutors said Boone-Doty originally planned to kill Tyshawn’s grandmother, and to torture Tyshawn, because Tyshawn’s father, Pierre Stokes, was a member of a rival gang.

Police and prosecutors said both shootings stemmed from an ongoing gang war between the Terror Dome faction of the Black P-Stones and the Killa Ward faction of the Gangster Disciples.

Cook County State’s Attorney Anita Alvarez said on Oct. 13, 25-year-old Tracy Morgan was shot and killed while sitting in a car with his mother, who also was wounded in the attack. Morgan’s brother, Corey Morgan, planned to retaliate, and allegedly said he “was going to kill grandmas, mothers , and children,” Avlarez said.

Corey Morgan, Boone-Doty, and Edwards – all purported Terror Dome members – allegedly went out daily, armed with guns, seeking to retaliate for that shooting, Alvarez said. On Oct. 18, 2015, Boone-Doty and Edwards allegedly spotted 19-year-old Brianna Jenkins and 20-year-old Deshari Bowens sitting in a car near 78th and Honore, and believing Bowens was a rival gang member, Boone-Doty walked up to the car, and fired multiple shots, killing Jenkins and wounding Bowens.

Then, on Nov. 2, Boone-Doty, Corey Morgan, and Edwards were still seeking retaliation when they arrived at Dawes Park, at 80th and Damen, and spotted Tyshawn playing with a basketball in the playlot, Alvarez said. Morgan and Edwards drove off in an SUV while Boone-Doty stayed behind.

Tyshawn put down his basketball and began playing on the swings at the park, and Boone-Doty walked up to him and offered to take him to the store and buy him anything he wanted, Alvarez said. The two then walked into a nearby alley, where Boone-Doty allegedly shot Tyshawn multiple times at close range.

Authorities said Boone-Doty, who was in custody on unrelated gun charges, gave statements admitting his role in the killings, and said when he shot Tyshawn he “seen that bitch go in his head.”

Boone-Doty and Morgan were being held without bail. It was unclear when Edwards would be extradited back to Chicago to face charges.

Recent News

Scroll to Top