Up to $15K reward being offered for info in teen's Loop shooting death; concerns over violence

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Two shootings in the Loop happened just hours after the tree lighting ceremony in Millennium Park, which brought thousands of people to downtown Chicago over the weekend.

It's unclear if incidents like these will deter people from visiting the city over the holidays.

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Community leaders Monday said they certainly hope not.

Armani Floyd, 14, was killed Friday night. His death was tied to a so-called "teen takeover" that ended in chaos.

On Monday, some in the city seemed oblivious to what happened, and others were seemingly unfazed as they celebrate the holidays.

The sound of Christmas carols filled the air on a packed Michigan Avenue.

On Daley Plaza, crowds lined up to get in the Christkindlmarket.

Sharon Dames came downtown with a busload of folks from Shorewood and got her souvenir mug.

"No one said a word, you know what? Maybe at our age, you're thinking, whatever happens, happens," Dames said.

McKinley Nelson, founder of Project sWISH, says Floyd was part of his youth basketball program, designed to give younger people a positive, safe place to play.

Nelson remembers Floyd as a kind person, great player and student.

"In a way, it feels defeating. We developed this program to save the kids. Right? And when you lose a kid that's a participant of the saving, it kind of feels like we're not doing our work," Nelson said.

Floyd would have turned 15 in December.

Letitia Smith is devastated following the death of her son.

Her father drove in from Minnesota as soon as he heard the news to be by her side.

"This is just horrible for us right now; it's a horrible time in our life so close to Thanksgiving. And we're supposed to be giving back and not taking away," Terrell Smith said. "He was out there fighting for a coat that kids were taking from him. And he's a great kid; he's a basketball star."

Floyd's family is now making funeral arrangements, but his father says his son was much more than a victim of violence.

"He was a good kid. Like i said, he had a 3.7 grade average, and he participated in productive things in the community," Ulysses Floyd said.

Floyd's father says he has worked many years as a violence interrupter, often taking his son with him in the community.

He says he hopes something changes so another family does not have to experience a tragic loss.

"I've been to more funerals than I have been to graduations. So, I want all of this to stop," Floyd said.

A vigil was held on Monday night to honor the 14-year-old.

Chicago police say eight other teens were also injured Friday night.

One of the shootings was just outside the ABC7 Chicago State Street studios. It sent a large crowd running in all directions.

In an exclusive interview with ABC7, Mayor Brandon Johnson said the city learned about a possible teen takeover from social media days before, and did what they could to stop it, including adding an additional 700 officers on duty.

"That's why it's going to take police officers, it's going to take my administration, our public education system, our mentoring programs and just adults as a whole. Adults have to know where their children are," Johnson said.

"Of course, the timing couldn't have been worse, while we're celebrating the holidays, the tree lighting and then the Magnificent Mile right the next night. And for the people out there want to call Chicago a 'hellhole,' it just gives them fuel for that fire," said Ald. Brian Hopkins, who chairs the Public Safety Committee.

Downtown Alderman Hopkins says the same plan the city's used in the past to deal with these takeovers didn't work this time, and they're looking at reasons why.

"We did have adequate numbers. The 700 figure is an accurate number. That should have been enough. What happened early on was there were some violent individuals within this crowd of teens. They were using pepper spray. Several police officers had to seek medical treatment right away after getting hit in the face with pepper spray and mace. They had stun guns. We had advanced knowledge that weapons were present. The police have to proceed very cautiously. And when they initially engaged this group, and the mace and the stun guns came out, the police backed up. And that allowed the group to feel emboldened, and things spiraled downhill from there," Hopkins said.

Alderman Hopkins says this incident only reinforces the need for an earlier youth curfew, so police can break up crowds before things get out of control and dangerous.

Mayor Johnson previously vetoed his proposed ordinance.

Hopkins had called for an 8 p.m. curfew, rather than 10 p.m.

"The level of violence has been gradually escalating. It is a concern, and we should take that seriously. This is not teen hijinks. These are not silly decisions. These are life threatening violent acts, and they need to be treated with that level of seriousness," Hopkins said. "My ordinance would have allowed them to start much earlier, as earlier as 8 p.m., when the event really began. It could have prevented the loss of life. We could have stopped that event."

Congressman Mike Quigley serving at a food pantry Monday said he feels safe downtown, but says incidents like Friday night are a major concern.

"I was at the lights ceremony, and know how important that is. We have big crowds. It's important because we want to protect young lives who are getting caught up in this. It's important because we'll protect every life in the city of Chicago," said Rep. Quigley, a Democrat.

Alderman William Hall on Monday said he would introduce a new ordinance to address violent teen gatherings coordinated on social media.

"We have to get to the root cause of those who are perpetuating and promoting violence," Hall said.

The ordinance requires major social media platforms to cooperate with the city when posts promoting illegal teen gatherings are identified.

Platforms must respond within six hours and, if they choose not to remove the content, provide a written explanation stating why it is not a public safety threat, the alderman said. Failure to cooperate would result in a $50,000 civil penalty. The measure also authorizes the city to pursue public-nuisance actions against repeat suspects.

"We need to, right now, get ahold of these teen gatherings. One of the ways in which we can do so is to make social media companies do their jobs. It's their job to take down anything that's violence, anything that promotes violence, nudity or any types of abuse, and they failed," Hall said.

Hall says he plans to introduce this ordinance before the end of the year.

Meanwhile, Cook County Crime Stoppers are offering up to $10,000 for information leading to the arrest of those responsible for Floyd's death.

"A 14-year-old child lost his life, and our community deserves answers. Shooting a 14-year-old just moments after a mass shooting took place where seven teens were shot is unbelievable. Someone out there knows who is responsible. Enough is enough. Too many of our teens are being killed for what? We are asking the public to do the right thing and share any information, no matter how small it may seem. Your anonymity is guaranteed, and your tip could help bring justice for Armani and his family, as well as the victims and the families of the seven teens who were shot on State Street," said Paul Rutherford, executive director for Cook County Crime Stoppers.

Call the Crime Stoppers Tip Line at 1-800-535-STOP (7867), or visit www.CPDTIP.com.

The Youth Peace and Justice Foundation is offering a reward of up to $5,000.