Chicago shooting: Laroy Battle sentenced to life in prison for killing 2 teens in South Shore who asked how tall he was in 2020
A Chicago man has been sentenced to life in prison after he was found guilty of shooting and killing two teens who were buying candy on the South Side after they asked how tall he was in June 2020.
The video in the player above is from a previous report.
Laroy Battle was found guilty of murder earlier this year. He had sentencing hearing before a judge Thursday in Cook County.
Police said Battle, 19 at the time of the shooting, opened fire on two teens in an alley in the 7900-block of South Luella Avenue around 5 p.m. on Saturday, June 20, 2020.
Chicago police officials said the shooting took place after the two teens and a friend had a brief encounter with Battle, whom they did not know, in a corner store.
As the three teens walked home, two of them were shot multiple times in the alley. Police said they recovered nine shell casings from the scene.
Jasean Francis, 17, was shot in the back, chest and left hand and taken to University of Chicago Hospital, where he died. Charles Riley, 16, was shot in the back and left leg and was taken to University of Chicago Hospital, where he also died.
Police said the two boys had asked their mothers for the okay to go down the block and buy candy.
Battle was charged with two counts of first-degree murder. Police said he had a previous conviction for aggravated unlawful use of a weapon, for which he received probation.
A jury convicted Battle in April.
After Thursday's sentencing hearing, the Cook County State's Attorney Office put out a statement, saying "A Chicago man convicted of fatally shooting two teenagers and injuring a third in an unprovoked attack in South Shore in 2020 has been sentenced to life in prison. Thank you ASAs Emily Stevens and Joseph Carlson for handling the case."
