Murder Charges Dropped Against Carlisha Hood and Son in Chicago Shooting Incident, And Both Of Them Have Been Released
A woman from Chicago, who was previously arrested on murder charges for allegedly instructing her 14-year-old son to shoot a man at a fast-food restaurant, was released on Monday after prosecutors decided to drop the charges against her and her teenage son.
Carlishia Hood, 35, and her son had initially faced first-degree murder charges for the shooting death of Jeremy Brown, 32, at Maxwell Street Express, a hot dog joint, as reported by CBS Chicago.
The incident occurred when Hood and Brown got into an argument while waiting for their food.
Allegedly, Hood sent a text message to her son, who was waiting in the car, asking him to come to her aid.
The young teenager is accused of using his mother's firearm to shoot the man, following her instructions.
However, new evidence emerged over the weekend that prompted the Cook County State's Attorney's Office to reconsider the charges.
A previously undisclosed video showing Brown violently assaulting Hood inside the restaurant started circulating on social media.
In light of the facts and emerging evidence, the office released a statement on Monday saying, "Based upon our continued review and in light of emerging evidence, today the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office has moved to dismiss the charges against Carlisha Hood and her 14-year-old son.
Based upon the facts, evidence, and the law, we are unable to meet our burden of proof in the prosecution of these cases."
Following the dropping of the charges, Hood, who had been held on a $3 million bond, and her son, who had been detained without bail in a juvenile detention center, were both released on Monday.
Hood declined to comment to CBS Chicago upon her release, but her attorney and family expressed their belief that justice had been served.
They were relieved to have the mother and son back home.
The pair voluntarily turned themselves in to the authorities after surveillance footage was released, showing the minor entering the restaurant and allegedly shooting Brown in the back.
According to prosecutors, the altercation between Hood and Brown began while they were waiting in line for their food.
The newly surfaced video shows Brown threatening to harm Hood if she uttered another word before striking her in the head.
As Hood cowered in a corner, he continued to attack her multiple times while other customers reacted with shock and fled the premises. The video ends with the sound of a gunshot.
Prosecutors stated that at that point, the 14-year-old witnessed his mother being assaulted and took action.
He retrieved a gun, which his mother was licensed to carry, as reported by the local station, and allegedly shot Brown in the back.
Although wounded, Brown managed to flee the restaurant, but he was pursued by the teenager and his mother, who reportedly instructed her son to continue shooting and kill the man.
According to prosecutors, the teenager fired additional shots, hitting Brown twice. The man later succumbed to his injuries.
Additionally, prosecutors alleged that the mother instructed her son to shoot a woman who had laughed and encouraged Brown during the initial fight.
However, both Hood and her son fled the scene in her car without harming the woman, as Hood reportedly attempted to grab the gun from her son, but he pushed her away.
A legal analyst from CBS stated that the mother and son were acting in self-defense. "You have the right to use deadly force to stop that force against another person, and that's exactly what happened in this case, and that's exactly why the State's Attorney's Office dropped this case today," said CBS 2 legal analyst Irv Miller.
Neither Hood nor her son have a criminal record.
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