Father, 2 Girls Shot And Killed In Hazel Crest
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Police in south suburban Hazel Crest have offered few details on the shooting deaths of two children and their father this weekend, but on Sunday sought to assure the community there is no danger to the public.
Around 2:30 a.m. Saturday, officers responded to a call of shots fired in the 2400 block of Crescent Drive, and found a father and two girls had been shot. The three were taken to hospitals, where they were pronounced dead. The victims have been identified as 39-year-old Dionus Neely, 10-year-old Elle Neely, and 3-year-old Endia Neely.
"What happened yesterday is nothing short of evil at its best; nothing short of that. Anyone who could kill a 3-year-old and a 10-year-old, no matter what the circumstances were, that's nothing but pure evil," Hazel Crest Police Chief Mitchell Davis said.
Sunday afternoon, police said they did not believe the shooting was a murder-suicide. Davis said the shooting was not a random act of violence, but an isolated incident.
"What we are telling the community of Hazel Crest is that we can't give any specifics, but this was not a random act of violence, this was a targeted event," Davis said. "There's not a madman out killing kids. There's a madman that killed some kids. So there's not somebody running rampant. If there was an issue with safety in the community, and our residents had an issue with that, then we would have let them know."
Investigators could be seen removing furniture from the home on Saturday, and a police dog scoured the area near the shooting. There has been no word on a possible suspect or motive so far.
Elle's teacher at the Jesse White Learning Academy said the family had considered moving, because of a previous shooting near the scene.
"Ten years, I can't even … it's such a young life," Cindy Kebr said. "They just need to hold on tight, and everybody in this community, we're all here for them."
Police said they need the public's help in solving the crime.
"If you know something, say something. We can't get this done without the community. We cannot do it, as effective as we may be, and I'm not saying you have to be from Hazel Crest. I don't care where you're from, if you somebody or know something that was involved in this particular incident, please let us know," Davis said.
Anyone with information about the shooting should call Hazel Crest police at 708-335-9640, extension 1.
