2 Men Charged In Shooting That Killed One Armored Car Guard And Wounded Another, And With Later Shooting, Killing 2 Of Their Own Suspected Accomplices
By Tara Molina and Adam Harrington
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Two young men were charged Wednesday in a shooting that killed one armored car guard and critically wounded another – as well as another shooting shortly afterward that left two of their suspected accomplices dead, and the robbery of a cellphone store in between.
Police Supt. David Brown announced that Antwon Montgomery, 19, and Deandre Jennings, 21, have both been charged with first-degree murder and attempted first-degree murder in the incident on Tuesday in West Chatham.
Montgomery and Jennings are also charged with first-degree murder in a double homicide in the South Chicago community a short time later, which killed two men whom Brown said were their accomplices in the earlier robbery.
Montgomery is further charged with one count of armed robbery and unlawful restraint in the robbery of a Boost Mobile store in South Shore.
Brown said officers put their own safety at great risk to apprehend the "very violent" offenders – an effort that involved a SWAT team.
Chicago Police Deputy Chief Rahman Muhammad said at 10:19 a.m. Tuesday, three armored car guards were loading an ATM at the Bank of America at 83rd Street and Princeton Avenue. Three assailants out of a total of four involved got out of a vehicle – two of them wielding handguns, the third with a long rifle.
The suspects, who were dressed in black and wearing masks, came up and demanded the cash – and shot two of the security guards.
One of the guards – Lashonda Hearts, 47 – was shot six times, and another, a 46-year-old man was shot twice. Both were taken to University of Chicago Medical Center, where Hearts died, and her partner was left in critical condition with gunshots to the lower extremities.
The third security guard was not struck and was able to return fire, but did not strike the assailants, Muhammad said.
The suspects then fled east on 83rd Street.
At 10:55 a.m., the suspects' vehicle was captured on police surveillance camera and private video cameras as it pulled into a strip mall at 6716 S. Stony Island Ave., police said. One of the suspects got out and walked into a Boost Mobile store wearing the same clothing as was seen in the earlier robbery and shooting, Muhammad said.
At that point, the assailant brandished two guns and announced a robbery at the store, Muhammad said. One customer got on the floor, while the clerk handed over several cellphones, he said.
The suspect then left the store.
At 11:30 a.m., South Chicago (4th) District officers were called for a traffic accident in the 8700 block of South Saginaw Avenue. They also got a call of shots fired.
Upon arriving at the scene, officers found the car had struck several parked cars and a tree, and the occupants – a driver and the front-seat passenger – had both been shot. They were pronounced dead shortly afterward, and numerous packaged cellphones from the Boost Mobile store that had been robbed were found both inside and outside the car, Muhammad said.
Brown said after the attack on the armored car guards and the cellphone store robbery, the assailants ended up turning on each other – and two of them, identified now as Montgomery and Jennings, shot and killed two of the others.
"Basically, this was, 'There is no honor among thieves,' and after the robberies and murder, they got into an altercation with each other – and two are deceased, and two are charged," Brown said.
The two suspected accomplices who were killed have been identified as 21-year-old Naiqwon Harper and 27-year-old George Holmes. Both were believed to be involved in the armored car attack along with Montgomery and Jennings.
Meanwhile, someone called 911 and reported seeing two people running into a house on Saginaw Avenue. Officers surrounded the home and kept constant surveillance, and a SWAT Team was also called.
Several people of interest were taken into custody, and Montgomery and Jennings were later charged. Meanwhile, police also obtained a search warrant for the home and found several guns – including a long rifle, Muhammad said.
Police thanked the person who called 911, as well as witnesses on the scene who helped.
CBS 2's Tara Molina checked in with slain armored car guard Hearts' family on these developments. She had not heard back as of Wednesday evening.
Both men appeared in bond court Thursday where they we both are held without bail. They're both due back in court on Dec. 6.