Teen delivering newspapers with stepfather shot to death in Chicago
CHICAGO -- Police say a 15-year-old boy who was helping his stepfather deliver newspapers was shot and killed in Chicago.
A man in another vehicle pulled up to the car and fired, striking Brain Jasso in the head Sunday morning.
Police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi says investigators are trying to determine if the boy's death was a case of mistaken identity in an area known for gang violence.
Chicago Tribune publisher and editor Bruce Dold says the newspaper is "saddened and stunned by the news."
The boy's stepfather is an independent contractor who delivers the Tribune and other newspapers.
Guglielmi said investigators were also exploring whether the crash and shooting could have been an attempted carjacking, reports CBS Chicago.
"We're still in the early stages of the investigation," he noted.
Jasso and his stepfather were delivering newspapers about 6:50 a.m. when someone in a white van rammed their 2000 Honda CRV from behind, according to police and the Cook County medical examiner's office. Jasso's stepfather tried to speed away, but the van drove alongside them and someone inside opened fire into their SUV. The stepfather wasn't injured.
Guglielmi said neither the boy nor his stepfather have any known gang affiliations. Their background also suggests they weren't involved in an ongoing conflict between feuding Hispanic gangs, which have led to a number of shootings and murders this year in the area.
The shooting could have been a case of mistaken identity related to a shooting late Saturday that left two dead in the neighborhood, Guglielmi said.
