Sameere's Shooter Accused Of Previously Threatening Him

By Marcus Gilmer in News on Oct 15, 2008 2:55PM

Sebastian Rodriguez, the 15-year-old accused of shooting 13-year-old Sameere Conn at a South Side grocery store on October 1, had previously threatened Sameere's life, according to prosecutors. Assistant State's Atty. Maria McCarthy said at Sebastian's bail hearing, "Three days before the shooting, the defendant and another witness had a three-way phone conversation with the victim. The defendant told the victim that he had a 'death list' that had the victim's name on it." Sebastian had also made similar threats against Sameere several weeks before the shooting. Friends told police after the shooting that Sameere had recently been pressured into joining a gang, but the 8th grader had refused to do so.

More information on the case, and Sebastian, came to light at the hearing. Sebastian had been ordered to home confinement in August for incident in which he had allegedly pointed a gun at and threatened to shoot another 13-year-old. When Sebastian was arrested in connection with Sameere's shooting, police found a .357 handgun and hollow-point bullets hidden in the house. During the shooting, Sameere suffered bullet wounds in his abdomen and each hand. Bail was ultimately denied for Sebastian. In response, Sameere's grandmother, Elaine Mayo, said, "I feel relief knowing he won’t hurt anybody." Sebastian has already been charged with first-degree murder for Sameere's death and with attempted murder for the wounding of a 27-year-old man during the shooting; he will be tried as an adult.

Family photo of Sameere Conn via the Trib