COOK COUNTY CRIMINAL COURTHOUSE — A second teen has been charged in the South Shore shooting that killed two teenagers earlier this month.
Joshua Lofton, 17, faces charges of first-degree murder and aggravated battery with a firearm.
Prosecutors claim Lofton was the driver in the Jan. 5 drive-by shooting that killed best friends Sakinah Reed, 17, and Donta Parker, 16. The pair was heading home from school about 3:30 p.m. on Jan. 5 when someone inside a green Ford Explorer allegedly shouted gang slogans and began shooting.
Prosecutors last week charged 16-year-old Anthony Murphy in the attack, claiming he acted as the gunman. Murphy admitted he was in the Ford Explorer that day, authorities said, but claims he was merely driving.
Lofton appeared before Cook County Judge Peggy Chiampas on Wednesday as prosecutors laid out their case against him during a brief bond hearing.
According to authorities, Lofton was behind the wheel of the green Ford Explorer when it pulled into the 7600 block of South Dorchester Avenue about 3:30 p.m. on Jan. 5.
Prosecutors believe Murphy sat behind the driver's seat. When he spotted Reed, Parker and a third teen, prosecutors said, Murphy shouted gang slogans and began shooting.
Parker was shot in his torso, and Reed was struck twice in her back and once in her leg, prosecutors said. Both teens died at Advocate Christ Medical Center.
The third victim, a 16-year-old boy, was shot in leg and finger, and survived the attack.
Police recovered six .380 caliber shell casings and two fired bullets on the scene, according to prosecutors. Surveillance footage shows the green Ford Explorer driving toward the victims on Dorchester.
The following day, officers spotted Lofton driving the green Ford Explorer near 80th and Blackstone, prosecutors said. The SUV had been reported stolen on Dec. 20, 2015 and matched the description of the car used in the South Shore double homicide.
Police seized the SUV and found a .380 caliber shell casing on the windshield, prosecutors said. It was a match to the casings found on the scene, and the back of the driver's seat tested positive for gunshot residue.
Lofton has been found delinquent in three prior juvenile cases, prosecutors said Wednesday. These include unlawful possession of a firearm and defacing a firearm.
Judge Chiampas on Wednesday ordered Lofton held in lieu of $1 million bail. Murphy was held without bail last week when he appeared before Judge James Brown.
According to his public defender, Lofton attends Excel Academy.
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