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Teen Charged With Killing Man Over Theft Of Brother's iPhone

CHICAGO (STMW) -- Retribution for the theft of a sibling's iPhone was enough for a Sauk Village teenager to shoot a man to death last week in the south suburb, Cook County prosecutors said.

Charles Bragg II allegedly gunned down 20-year-old Zonnie Johnson last week near 216th Street and Jeffrey Avenue after his brother identified the victim as being one of the men who swiped his iPhone months before.

On Saturday, Bragg, 19, was ordered held without bond for Johnson's murder.

Bragg was found hiding in a South Side home on Thursday, the Cook County Sheriff's office said.

Two days before prosecutors said Bragg's brother was at a Marathon gas station when he recognized one of two men he believed stole his smart phone.

He drove home to tell his brother and both came back to the gas station, prosecutors said. Bragg allegedly went inside to ask an attendant which direction the men went and the brothers drove around. They found the men walking nearby and asked them to stop, prosecutors said.

That's when Bragg took out a gun from his pants, approached the group and asked Johnson if he had stolen his brother's iPhone, Assistant State's Attorney Elena Gottreich said.

He allegedly shot toward Johnson several times. Another man who was with Johnson ran away and was not hurt. Johnson was shot in the head and died a day after the shooting, Gottreich said.

Bragg was identified as the shooter by the victim who got away, and other witnesses. He was also identified in a photo array, prosecutors said. And in a video statement to police, Bragg admitted he had a revolver, Gottreich said.

Bragg's public defender said he lives with his parents and is on probation for residential burglary. No family members appeared for his bond hearing.

Bragg faces 25 years to life in prison for the murder. His next court appearance is scheduled on Oct. 2 in Markham.

(Source: Sun-Times Media Wire © Chicago Sun-Times 2012. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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