Updated: Man Charged With Murder Of 9-Year-Old Tyshawn Lee

By Rachel Cromidas in News on Nov 27, 2015 4:13PM

A man has been charged with the murder of 9-year-old Tyshawn Lee, who was gunned down in an alley near his grandmother's house while on his way to play basketball in an apparent gang retaliation against his father.

Corey Morgan, 27, has been charged with first-degree murder and is scheduled to appear in court for a bond hearing this afternoon. Police chief Garry McCarthy, who has been facing staunch criticism all week over his department's handling of a different murder case, called Lee's killing "probably the most abhorrent, cowardly, unfathomable crime" he'd seen in his entire career.

Police say the 9-year-old was lured into a South Side alley on Monday afternoon, Nov. 2, and executed because of his dad's ties to a bloody war between two South Side gangs, the Gangster Disciples and the Black P Stones. Tyshawn's father Pierre Stokes is reportedly a member of Gangster Disciples' Killa Ward faction, and police believe the Terror Dome faction of the Black P Stones targeted Tyshawn because of Stokes' gang connections. Police said Stokes was uncooperative with their investigation, and Stokes has since faced criticism for the ways he tried to raise money after Lee's death.

Morgan allegedly shot Lee several times, including a fatal shot to his head, in retaliation for the murder of his brother, Tracey Morgan, 25. Police questioned Morgan two days after Lee's death, but released him, according to the Tribune. Morgan was recently arrested and charged with a weapons violation, but was able to pay the bond amount to get out of jail.

Updated 12:00 p.m.: Police claim to other men are responsible for Lee's death, and one is in custody on unrelated charges. Police issued a first-degree murder warrant in the case for a 22-year-old Kevin Edwards Friday morning.