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Two fellow gang members charged in execution of 11 -year-oldAssociated PressTwo teen-age members of the rame gang as an 11-year-old boy wanted in a killing were charged Friday with murdering the boy in an ittempt to reduce police “heat” onihe gang.Robert Sandifer became the target of a manhunt after a shooting ^pree Sunday that left a neighbor girl dead. Police said he was the gunman.“Members of the gang felt that Robert Sandifer had brought a lot of jolice heat on the gang,” Police Cmdr. Earl Nevels said at a news •onference announcing the arrests.For several days, gang membersmoved the boy known as “Yummy” from location to location to keep police from finding him, Nevels said.Robert was unaware of his fate when he was taken to a quiet railroad underpass and shot in the head around midnight Wednesday,Nevels said.“It was his understanding he was going out of town,” Nevels said.Cragg Hardaway, 16, was charged with first-degree murder as an adult; a 14-year-old suspect was charged as a juvenile, Nevels said.Witnesses linked the two teenagers to the scene, and Nevels said one confessed and the other impli-Cragg HardawayRobert SandiferShavon Deancated himself in statements.“We have identified Cragg Hardaway as the gunman,” Nevels said.Robert, an abused child and convicted felon, was found in a pool ofblood Thursday morning.Two gunshot wounds — one to the back of the head and one to the top — led police to suggest from the beginning that fellow gang membershad killed him.Robert’s mother, Lorina Sandifer— accused of abusing and neglecting Robert, who was being raised by his grandmother — said in a WLS-TV interview Friday that she was sorry she didn’t try to keep her son away from the street gang.“By me being an ex-addict I knew about the gangs and the streets. I should have known,” she said. “Life is precious to me. If had known it was that deep, I would have lookedinto it myself.”Nevels said police believe Robert shot and injured two 16-year-old boys Sunday in separate incidents. A straybullet killed 14-year-old ShavonDean, 10 yards from her house.Police at first thought Sunday’s shootings were part of a gang initiation.“We have since found out it was much more than that,” Nevels said. He refused to elaborate.He said he did not believe the two boys in custody ordered those shootings or Robert’s execution. He said police are looking for the people responsible.Cmdr. Donald Hilbring, head ofthe gang investigation section, saidit is not uncommon for boys Robert’s age to be members of gangs, but “it’s a rarity” to see an11-year-old shooting.
Newspaper Details
Arlington Heights Daily Herald Suburban Chicago
Arlington Heights, Illinois, US
Sat, Sep 03, 1994
Page 6
Full Page
Clipped by
Christopher T.
USA 10 Jun 2019
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