By Daily Mail (U.S.) | Created at 2026-07-24 16:02:02 | Updated at 2026-07-27 09:50:58
2 days ago
A teen boy was shot and killed by his friend, who was fresh out of jail, while allegedly trying to steal a car, police say.
Deantwan McKeever, 13, was found with a gunshot wound to the head on May 21 in Chicago's South Side, WLS reported.
He was taken to Comer Children's Hospital in critical condition and succumbed to his injuries a week later, according to the Cook County Medical Examiner.
Two months later, a 17-year-old boy was arrested and charged with first-degree murder in connection with the shooting.
The suspect, identified by CWB Chicago as Javar Woods, was arrested by members of the Chicago Police Department and the US Marshals Great Lakes Regional Fugitive Task Force on July 16, police said.
At a court hearing on July 18, prosecutors told a judge that Woods had been released from juvenile detention an hour before he met up with McKeever on the day of the shooting.
McKeever, Woods and two other boys set out to steal a car parked in the 8200 block of South Coles Avenue, according to prosecutors.
McKeever allegedly carried the gun in his backpack and handed it to Woods, while the two other boys served as lookouts.
Deantwan McKeever, 13, was found with a gunshot wound to the head on May 21 in Chicago's South Side
Police said his 17-year-old friend, identified by CWB Chicago as Javar Woods, shot him while they tried to steal a car in Chicago's South Side
One of the lookouts told investigators they saw Woods standing in a passageway as McKeever ran toward him.
That is when the boy heard two gunshots fired and saw McKeever collapse, prosecutors said.
Woods then allegedly ran into the alley with the gun in his hand, and he and the other boys ran back to his home to change clothes.
The lookouts claimed that Woods threatened to shoot them and their families if they told police.
However, prosecutors said the boys returned to the scene and spoke with detectives.
On Saturday, the judge called Woods a 'violent and dangerous person,' and ordered him to be held in jail until trial.
It is unknown why Woods was serving time in juvenile detention.
The Daily Mail contacted the Cook County State's Attorney's Office and the Cook County Public Defender's office for comment.
