Quantcast

The DNAinfo archives brought to you by WNYC.
Read the press release here.

Teens Suspected in Slaying of Photographer Wil Lewis Arrested in Wisconsin

By  Alex Parker  and Benjamin Woodard | August 3, 2014 4:04pm | Updated on August 3, 2014 4:49pm

 William Lewis, 28, was shot and killed July 12in the 1300 block of West Devon Avenue.
William Lewis
View Full Caption

CHICAGO — Two teens have been arrested in southern Wisconsin in connection with the July shooting death of Rogers Park photographer Wil Lewis.

The teens, ages 15 and 17, were arrested in Racine County, Wisconsin, last week. First-degree murder charges are pending against both of them, said a Cook County State's Attorney spokeswoman.

Chicago Police could not confirm the teens' arrest.

But Ald. Joe Moore (49th), in an email to constituents, confirmed their arrests. The 15-year-old boy is a Lakeview resident, Moore said. The older boy lives in Uptown.

The Racine County Sheriff's Department's website said the pair have been in custody since Thursday. DNAinfo Chicago is not naming the suspects because they have not been formally charged and are juveniles.

Lewis, a commercial photographer who recently moved to Rogers Park, was shot while standing at a bus stop in the 1300 block of West Devon Avenue on July 12. He had lived in the city since 2012, when he moved from Wisconsin with his wife. Friends said he was a talented photographer who was about to start a new job.

Two days later, an Uptown man, Eric Vaughn, was charged in connection with the murder. Prosecutors said Vaughn drove the vehicle from which someone else shot at a rival gang member, inadvertently striking Lewis.

Vaughn, 31, was recently released from prison after serving seven years for attempted murder. Prosecutors said Vaughn was a member of the Conservative Vice Lords, and he passed a gun to another person, saying "Wet that T-shirt up" — or make the rival gang member bleed.

He was ordered held without bail.

Ald. Moore witnessed the shooting.

"I heard a series of pops, 'Pop, pop, pop, pop,' " Moore said. "I knew right away that it wasn’t fireworks. It was gunfire."

Police said an Uptown rapper was the target of the shooting that killed Lewis and a February shooting that killed 17-year-old Markeyo Carr.

Moore said Rogers Park District Cmdr. Thomas Waldera told him photos of the suspects fleeing the scene proved "invaluable" in his detectives' investigation.

"Though it took some time for the police to locate the two other suspects, who fled the state, the police knew almost immediately who they were looking for thanks to the information provided by eyewitnesses," Moore said.

Maria, Lewis' wife, posted a message Sunday on Lewis' online fundraiser, saying she had been informed of the arrests of the two teen suspects.

"For me this is very bittersweet," she said. "I am happy but so very sad. I guess it is a baby step toward closure."

She said she plans to remain in Chicago to "feel closer to Wil," who died at a bus stop near their apartment.

"I go and visit Wil at the bus bench often," she said. "I read the eulogies and nice things that have been said on Facebook. Today I was happy to tell him about the update on his case."

For more neighborhood news, listen to DNAinfo Radio here: