Chicago Mother and Son Walk Free After Shooting Restaurant Attacker Dead

A Chicago mother and her 14-year-old son have been allowed to walk free after murder charges were dropped that stemmed from the shooting and subsequent death of a 32-year-old man at a hot dog stand.

The Cook County Prosecutors released a statement on June 26 stating the decision to drop the murder charges had been made "in light of emerging evidence."

Carlishia Hood, 35, and her son got into an altercation with Jeremy Brown on June 18 at the Maxwell Street Express restaurant located in the 11600 block of South Halsted Street, according to a CBS News report.

This altercation resulted in Brown striking Hood multiple times in the face following an argument before he was shot by the 14-year-old.

A video of this altercation had begun circulating on social media over the weekend with many alleging Hood had ordered the execution of Brown following the attack.

Assistant State's Attorney Anne McCord Rodgers stated that Hood went inside the restaurant while her son stayed in their vehicle, but the son came into the store when the verbal argument with Brown, a stranger, began to intensify, according to a WTTWNews report, and Hood punched Brown in the head at least three times.

Rodgers said the 14-year-old pulled a handgun from his hoodie pocket and shot Brown in the back. Rodgers added that when Brown fled the restaurant, Hood yelled at her son to kill Brown, resulting in the teenager pursuing Brown and firing additional shots. Brown was struck twice and ultimately died of his injuries.

CBS 2 legal analyst Irv Miller explained the move by the prosecutors to drop all charges for the incident. He also said criminal charges, let alone murder charges, should never have been approved in this case.

"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," he said.

"This goes beyond an injustice. Frankly, it's a miscarriage of justice as to what happened to this woman and her son.

"It's a situation where either the charges should have been rejected, or at the very minimum they should have been continued for investigation, rather than just, you know, say, 'Okay, murder charge. Send them to court.'"

The Cook County State's Attorney's full press release read: "Based upon our continued review and in light of emerging evidence, today the Cook County State's Attorney's Office (CCSAO) 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."

When contacted by Newsweek, the Cook County State's Attorney's Office said they are "unable to provide further comment at this time."

Update 6/28/23, 3:27 a.m. ET: This article was updated to include a response from the Cook County State's Attorney's Office.