Village of South Holland murder: New details in South Holland shooting of Davell Holden; Javan Moore, Demon Smith and boy charged
Officials in the south suburbs announced the arrests of three people in connection with the shooting death of a 16-year-old high school basketball player.
Davell Holden was killed in early August in South Holland in what police are calling a case of mistaken identity.
Javan Moore, 21, and Demon Smith, 20, were arrested late last week after a monthslong investigation.
They are accused of being in the same gang, along with a 16-year-old boy charged in the case .
The three allegedly co-conspired to get revenge on someone else, but instead, they mistakenly killed 16-year-old Davell Holden.
"I'm just up here to give my gratitude and thank the Suburban Task Force and the South Holland police for the awesome job that they've done," said Angela Birts, the victim's mother.
Birts appeared at a news conference on Monday, where South Holland officials announced the arrests of the three people allegedly responsible for killing her son.
South Holland Police Chief Shawn Staples says Moore, Smith, and the teen charged, who remains unnamed because of his status as a minor, are all in custody.
While Staples shared few details, Moore and Smith already had their first court appearances over the weekend. The Cook County State's Attorney's Office successfully argued that they should be detained while the court process plays out.
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During the hearing, prosecutors allege the three suspects are members of the same gang, 9 Block, and that they were targeting a person who they believed lived on the street where Holden was killed.
Prosecutors say suspects' cell phones show text messages that link them to the ammunition used in the shooting as well as the stolen car linked to the crime.
Attorneys say Holden had just ordered DoorDash and was standing in the front yard of his girlfriend's house near 160th Place and Drexel Avenue when the three suspects pulled up, and Moore allegedly fired multiple shots at him.
According to prosecutors, the big break came in mid-September.
The 16-year-old suspect was arrested and found in possession of two phones, which included incriminating photos and a text exchange after the murder about selling a gun. A search warrant in Chicago led to the alleged murder weapon, which an analysis revealed matches shell casings found at the scene.
"Three offenders who are successfully charged, be held accountable for this heinous act, heinous act mistaken identity, to take a young man's life," Staples said.
Both adult suspects are due back in court on Tuesday.
It remains to be seen if the 16-year-old suspect will be tried as an adult or juvenile.
