CHICAGO — An 18-year-old woman has been charged with murder after she drove a teen to shoot a gang member who she thought had beaten up her brother, prosecutors said.
Elizabeth Diaz has been charged with first-degree murder in the fatal shooting of Carlos Ocampo, 20, in Hermosa on Tuesday, according to Cook County prosecutors.
She was held Friday in lieu of $1 million bail.
Diaz is not accused of pulling the trigger, but is being charged after she plotted the attack to avenge her 15-year-old brother who had been beaten up by gang members, said Assistant State's Attorney Bryan Grissman.
On Tuesday afternoon, Diaz's brother came home and said he had just been beaten up near Kelvyn Park, at 4438 W. Wrightwood Ave., by members of the Latin Cobras, Grissman said. His attackers believed he was a member of the rival Latin Boys gang, he said.
It is not clear if the boy is a gang member.
Diaz and a brother, who is 17, began looking for pictures of their brother's attackers on Facebook, Grissman said.
After verifying the attacker's identities, Diaz and the younger brother picked up two more people, including a 15-year-old, whom Diaz asked to bring a gun, Grissman said.
The group of four then drove to Kelvyn Park, and the 15-year-old, who was in the front passenger seat, began yelling at the alleged attackers, Grissman said.
They yelled back.
Ocampo, the shooting victim, then rode his bicycle up to Diaz's car and yelled at him, Grissman said. The 15-year-old then pulled the gun from a backpack and began shooting, he said.
Ocampo fell to the ground. The 15-year-old then got out of the car and continued firing at Ocampo, Grissman said.
The man was pronounced dead at the scene, police said.
After the shooting, Diaz noticed that her 2000 Ford Expedition was not moving and had "stalled out," Grissman said. The four people in the car then ran away from the scene, he said.
Police found Diaz's car at the scene, ran the plates and determined it belonged to her, Grissman said.
Later, Diaz reported that her car had been stolen, he said. But when police asked her about the shooting, Diaz admitted to being at the scene, Grissman said.
She later gave a videotaped statement saying she picked up the shooter and went to the park for revenge.
Police arrested the 15-year-old shooter, who is being charged with the murder in juvenile court, Grissman said.
Diaz does not have a criminal background, her public defender said.
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