Pictures released of person in connection with students shot at Juarez

Chicago police released pictures of a person they are seeking to identify in connection with the shooting of four teens, two of whom died Friday afternoon at Benito Juarez Community Academy in the Pilsen neighborhood.

Meanwhile, no one was in custody for the shooting, which happened around 2:45 p.m. at the school, 2150 S. Laflin St., at dismissal.

Police said a security guard witnessed the lone assailant, who was dressed all in black with a black face mask, carry out the attack, police said.

Brandon Perez, 15, and Nathan Billegas, 14, died in the shooting, according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office and police, who said both were shot in the head.

“I just want to make sure that whoever killed him gets caught,” said Billegas’s mother, Mayra Tapia.

Two others shot included a 15-year-old girl and a 15-year-old boy, who were said to be in good condition at Stroger Hospital, officials said.

Perez was a student at Juarez, while Billegas was a student at Chicago Bulls College Prep, police said. The surviving girl attends Juarez and the surviving boy is a student at Noble UIC College Prep, according to police.

A small memorial with a few candles and flower bouquets had been set up outside the school Saturday night. The school will have added security and supports when students return Monday, including “counseling, healing circles and other resources designed to help students and staff to process and begin the healing process,” Benito Juarez Principal Juan Carlos Ocon wrote in a Saturday letter to the school community.

“We know that this incident has had a traumatic impact on our entire school community. We also know that such violence may raise safety concerns,” Ocon wrote.

Mayor Lori Lightfoot tweeted her comments and condolences Saturday.

“This senseless act of violence and disregard for life injured four teens — two of whom tragically passed away from their injuries,” Lightfoot said in the tweet. “I am beyond outraged by this incident, which highlights the pressing need for illegal guns to be taken off our streets and out of the hands of those seeking to cause harm.”

Ald. Byron Sigcho-Lopez, whose 25th Ward includes the high school, shared frustration with the reactions of elected officials to the shooting.

“We are just devastated by this tragedy, but also devastated because the lack of response,” Sigcho-Lopez said. “Where’s the outrage from the other elected officials? Where are the resources for our community?”

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The alderman said he believes the shooting stemmed from a systemic mistreatment of the Latino neighborhood it happened in, including a lack of violence disruption programs in schools and increasingly burdensome property taxes on nearby homeowners.

The students who saw their friends get shot and the families now dealing with injuries or deaths during the holidays will face trauma, Sigcho-Lopez said. It’s not an isolated incident, noting that two other shootings have happened at CPS schools this year.

Four teens were shot outside the Northwest Side’s Carl Schurz High School in August. In early December, a 15-year-old boy was shot and killed outside the Austin neighborhood’s Michele Clark Academic Prep Magnet High School.

Sigcho-Lopez hasn’t yet heard how the school will operate when classes resume and plans to hold a community meeting Sunday, he said.

“We’ve got students who have got to go back to school on Monday,” Sigcho-Lopez said. “There’s no communication … people are terrified.”

A Benito Juarez student told the Tribune that students are planning a walkout on Monday in response to the shooting.

The pictures were released by police in a Community Alert which urged anyone with information to contact Area Three detectives, 312-744-8261.