Second person charged in robbery, shooting of Dakotah Earley last year
CHICAGO (CBS) -- A second person has been charged in the shooting that left a young man named Dakotah Earley in a coma last year.
An 18-year-old man has been charged with multiple felonies; including attempted murder, armed robbery, and possession of a stolen car. Although he's 18, he has been charged as a juvenile, because he was 17 years old at the time of the shooting, and his name has not been released.
Chicago police said he was arrested Monday in Maywood after he was identified as one of the people who robbed Earley in the Lincoln Park neighborhood early on May 6, 2022.
At his first court appearance Tuesday, a judge ordered him held in custody. He is due back for a hearing on Thursday in Juvenile Court.
In a statement on Tuesday, Earley's mother, Joy Dobbs, said the latest charges in the case bring "mixed emotions."
"We are happy that this individual has been removed from our streets and will be held accountable for his role in the shooting. But it is also very hard for us to relive that day again," Dobbs said.
Another suspect, Tyshon Brownlee, 20, already has been charged in Earley's shooting. Brownlee was charged days after the shooting and is facing one count of attempted murder – as well as five counts of armed robbery.
Brownlee is accused of shooting Earley three times after robbing him of his cell phone on Webster Avenue at Wayne Avenue.
The shooting was caught on surveillance video, which shows the man who shot Earley getting out of a white sedan that had just rounded the corner of Wayne and Webster avenues and hiding behind the wall of a building -- peeking around the corner as Earley walked down the street.
As Earley approached the corner, the robber came out of hiding and pointed his gun at him. Earley gave the man his bag, then grabbed for the gun, and both fell to the ground as they struggled over the gun.
A second robber with a gun rushed up; and as Earley was struggling with the first robber, one of them can be heard demanding the passcode to his phone. Then the first robber shot Earley and took his cell phone.
As Earley was lying on the ground, the robber again asked him for his passcode before shooting him a second time. After asking the victim for his passcode again, Earley told him some numbers before screaming in pain, and the robber shot him a third time while he was still lying in the street.
Brownlee was also charged with four other armed robberies on the same night in Lincoln Park and Lakeview.
The now-24-year-old Earley was critically wounded in the shooting. He had several surgeries and spent days in a coma and on life support. Earley also suffered permanent brain injuries, had part of his leg amputated, and lost part of his colon as a result of the shooting, according to his attorneys. He now uses a wheelchair as a result of his injuries.
Earley has since sued former Mayor Lori Lightfoot, former police Supt. David Brown, and two unnamed police officers, claiming Chicago Police Department pursuit policies failed to stop the accused gunman's violent crime spree earlier.
Attorneys for Earley claim police had numerous chances to arrest and stop Brownlee before he shot their client.
"We would like to applaud the rank-and-file police officers and detectives of the Chicago Police Department who have dedicated themselves to this case. Dakotah deserves justice for this terrible tragedy. And justice means that all parties involved should be held responsible," Earley's attorney, Larry Disparti, said in a statement on Tuesday. "This is why we stand firm in our belief that the flawed 'nopursuit' policy of the Chicago Police Department played a very significant role in Dakotah's tragedy. We will continue to fight on the family's behalf until justice is served."
