Second suspect charged in killing of retired Chicago police officer – NBC Chicago

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Authorities said a second suspect has been arrested in connection with the killing of 73-year-old retired Chicago police officer Larry Neuman.

Police say a 17-year-old faces first-degree murder charges in connection with Neuman’s killing earlier this month in West Garfield Park.

Authorities said the suspect was arrested Thursday in the 2400 block of East 75th Street.

In addition, the suspect was charged with an armed robbery that also occurred in West Garfield Park in November 2023. He is scheduled to appear in bail court on Saturday.

Neuman was shot near his home at 4300 West Monroe Street shortly after paying a man to help him mow his lawn.

Neuman saw the two suspects put on ski masks and reached for his own gun as he was shot multiple times, managing to get one shot off.

Neuman collapsed and was taken to a hospital with gunshot wounds to the chest and leg, but died a short time later.

The charges came after Neuman’s wake and funeral were scheduled for Friday and Saturday.

Police have now arrested both suspects in connection with Neuman’s killing. 16-year-old Lazarius Watt appeared in court this week after turning himself in on the evening of June 23, three days after the killing.

Watt appeared in court on Tuesday, and NBC Chicago reporter Charlie Wojciechowski reported that Watt was under house arrest at the time of the murder and had violated electronic monitoring seven times six months earlier.

Court documents showed that the teenager was scheduled to face charges of car theft in juvenile court before Tuesday’s murder, Wojciechowski said.

During his appearance Tuesday, the judge deemed Watt a threat to the community and ordered him detained. His next court date is scheduled for July 16.

The hearing comes a day after Chicago Police Commissioner Larry Snelling held a press conference in which he said the teenager had been arrested in connection with Neuman’s killing and charged with first-degree murder.

CPD Superintendent Larry Snelling, Chief of Detectives Antoinette Ursitti and Cook County District Attorney Kim Foxx released new details about the murder of former police officer Larry Neuman in Chicago’s West Garfield Park neighborhood.

Criminal Investigation Chief Antoinette Ursitti thanked the public for their help in bringing the suspected shooter to justice, saying several people had come forward with the teenager’s name after police released surveillance footage last week.

“The community’s support was critical to the investigation in this case,” Ursitti said. “The evidence they provided helped investigators quickly bring charges against the 16-year-old perpetrator.”

An officer assigned to the Area Four Priority Response Team also recognized the suspect from a previous encounter in May in which he was wearing the same clothing, police said.

Neuman, the longest-serving explosives specialist in the history of the Chicago Police Department, most recently worked as an explosives technician with the TSA at Midway International Airport, where he passed on his knowledge to the younger generation.

The veteran police officer was a longtime resident of West Garfield Park, where he was deeply involved in the neighborhood – a community that loved him, Snelling said.

“He still lived in this community even though he didn’t have to,” the police chief said. “But it showed how much he cared about the people who live in this neighborhood.”

Numerous community members, local leaders and officials honored Neuman with a march and vigil on Sunday.

While he spent his professional life protecting others, Neuman also worked tirelessly to bring peace to the West Garfield Park neighborhood – to show young people “there is a better way.” Snelling recalled a recent conversation with the Rev. Paul Simms of St. Michael Missionary Baptist Church, where Neuman served as pastor.

“And he said that Larry would have done anything to reach the two young men responsible for his murder,” Snelling said. “Larry’s life was taken from him by the very people he spent his life trying to help.”

While Neuman’s arrest and charges will not bring him back, police hope that it will at least bring some justice to his family – and that others will not have to go through what they did.

Dozens of people took part in a march in the city’s West Garfield Park neighborhood on Sunday to remember retired police officer Larry Neuman, who was shot and killed days earlier, NBC Chicago’s Lexi Sutter reports.

“So we’re going to carry on Larry’s mission,” Snelling said. “We’re going to continue to honor Larry and other members of every community who stepped up and tried to do whatever they could to make those communities better.”