Charge filed in Des Plaines teen's murder
A Rosemont man has been charged with first-degree murder in Friday night's fatal shooting of a 14-year-old Des Plaines boy at an apartment complex near the Allstate Arena, police said.
Cesar Garay, 20, confessed his role as the shooter in what police called a gang-related and isolated incident, according to a news release Monday night.
Patrick Boswell was found on the ground with a gunshot wound to the head about 8:55 p.m. Friday in an easement, or gangway, between apartment buildings on the 10400 block of Betty Court, police and the Cook County medical examiner's office said.
Calls to Rosemont's 911 center first reported a disturbance and later reported gunshots just south of Betty, on the 10400 block of Carol Court in the so-called Courts complex, rows of six-flats along Touhy Avenue.
Residents in the apartments on Carol Court said they heard a series of gunshots Friday night.
Patrick lived less than a mile away from the Courts on the 1600 block of Morse Avenue in Des Plaines. He was an eighth-grader at Iroquois Community School, also in Des Plaines.
After the shooting, police said they talked with witnesses who led them to Garay. Garay was brought in for questioning Sunday, and that's when he admitted he shot Boswell after an argument, police said.
Garay is expected to appear before a judge in bond court Tuesday morning.
Boswell's uncle, who declined to give his name, remembered Patrick as a "friendly kid," an animal lover and athlete.
Des Plaines Elementary School District 62 officials notified parents of the fatal shooting via email Saturday afternoon. They also told families they did not know the circumstances of the shooting or any funeral arrangements.
On Monday, grief counselors were available for students and staff at Iroquois and other district schools.