Alleged teen robber charged with shooting young activist at West Ridge park; victim's dad speaks out
'He didn't think the person was going to shoot him in a park full of kids,' the victim's father said.
CHICAGO (WLS) -- Isaiah Burton, 17, went from using his voice to help change laws, not only in Chicago, but the state of Illinois, to being shot multiple times at a North Side park in what police say was a robbery at the hands of another teenager.
"Today, I'm standing here to break that silence," Isaiah said in a speech in Springfield in May, pushing for legislation to prohibit AI therapy in Illinois.
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A young voice for change was almost silenced in an armed robbery in the West Ridge neighborhood.
"He shot him, and then, as my son was on the ground, he took the backpack off his body, took his phone away," said J. Burton, Isaiah's father. "He didn't think the person was going to shoot him in a park full of kids."
The shooting happened last month, while the Mather High School student and youth leader was waiting for a friend at a park near Granville and Hoyne in West Ridge last month. His father spoke with ABC7 over the phone about the near-deadly encounter.
"Somebody just came up behind him, like, blocked him off with a scooter, pulled out a gun and said, 'Give me your stuff,'" J. said. "He was like, 'I'm not giving nothing to you.' And the kid kept saying, 'Oh, I'm broke. I'm broke. I need that backpack. I need that phone.'"
Isaiah then tried to run away toward kids playing soccer nearby.
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"From what he told me, he said, 'I'm thinking he won't shoot me, because I'm in this park surrounded by people and kids,'" J. said.
Isaiah was shot three times.
Chicago police announced the arrest of another 17-year-old boy, now charged with Attempted Murder and Armed Robbery, on Tuesday.
The attack came just months after Isaiah gave his speech in Springfield.
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"We deserve to heal. We deserve to be heard. We deserve real support," Isaiah said in his speech. "We need real people who care for us."
His efforts also backed this summer's youth-led initiative in Chicago against the now-failed city curfew ordinance.
"Because Isaiah was in the hospital, they still went to City Hall, and they still fought that bill," said Maria Paula Degillo with Communities United.
Isaiah remains at Northwestern Hospital, recovering from multiple surgeries. But his family hopes he will be out of the hospital soon to continue his advocacy work.
"I want to see my son grow up. I want to see him live a long life," J. said.
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