Teenage murder victim’s aunt helps police locate suspect in Austin: prosecutors

A teenage murder victim’s aunt helped police locate the suspect who shot at her and her nephew as they walked in an alley in Austin earlier this week, Cook County prosecutors said Friday.

Dailon Russel’s aunt held him in her arms when officers arrived near the scene of the crime Wednesday in the 200 block of North Central Avenue, prosecutors said.

After the shooting, Russel’s aunt, who had seen Jazon Stewart-Overall nearly two dozen times in the neighborhood over the last three years, went to go look for the alleged gunman with her brother.

Chicago Police Department

When officers arrived, she led them to Stewart-Overall’s location. Stewart-Overall, 19, and his teenage cohort were then taken into custody after a brief chase, prosecutors said.

Minutes before, Stewart-Overall, allegedly shouted at 17-year-old Russel, telling him that he didn’t belong in the neighborhood before firing at the boy and his aunt about 11:30 a.m., prosecutors said.

Stewart-Overall and a 17-year-old boy had followed the pair who were walking back home from a store when they headed into the alley to get into the back door of Russel’s aunt’s apartment building, prosecutors said.

After Russel was shot, he ran down the alley before collapsing in a nearby gangway. His aunt ran towards the doorway of her building and ducked. But she was able to see Stewart-Overall and his cohort flee, prosecutors said.

A garbage truck driver who was in the alley at the time of the shooting was forced to duck behind his steering wheel when the shots were fired. Two bullets hit his windshield and radiator, prosecutors said.

Russel’s aunt told police the boy with Stewart-Overall didn’t shoot, prosecutors said.

Russel suffered a gunshot wound to his back, which exited through his chest, and a second gunshot wound to his ear, prosecutors said. He died at Mount Sinai Hospital.

Officers recovered a total of 11 9mm shell casings and four bullet fragments, which were fired from a single gun from the scene, prosecutors said.

Surveillance video captured Stewart-Overall and his cohort enter and exit the alley around the time of the murder.

Stewart-Overall was ordered held without bail Friday on murder and attempted murder charges.

He is expected back in court Oct. 21.