Crime & Law
‘It’s Just Crazy’: Families of 2 Teens Shot at Douglass Park Pool Suing Lifeguard, Chicago Park District
(Patty Wetli / WTTW News)
The families of two teens who were shot by a lifeguard at a pool on Chicago’s West Side this summer have filed a civil lawsuit claiming the Chicago Park District should have known the alleged shooter was “unfit and a danger to harm others.”
The lawsuit, filed Tuesday on behalf of 15-year-old Marjay Dotson and 14-year-old Jeremy Herred, comes more than two months after the teens were shot in Douglass Park during an encounter with 55-year-old lifeguard Charles Leto.
Dotson was fatally shot in the back and Herred remains paralyzed, according to his family.
“What should have been a great day in the summer, fun at the pool, turned into a nightmare,” attorney Jeff Neslund, who represents the teens’ families, said at a news conference Wednesday morning.
Leto faces first-degree murder and other charges stemming from the shooting. He has claimed the teens attacked him and attempted to steal his bike and that he acted in self defense.
According to the lawsuit, Leto was working at the Douglass Park pool on June 26. Around closing time, other teens attempted to enter the pool, but after they were denied entry by Leto, they took his bike as a prank and rode it to the other side of the pool.
Leto then recovered the bike, knelt down next to it and pulled out a handgun, according to the lawsuit. As he did so, Dotson and Herred — and others in the area — attempted to run as Leto fired shots, the lawsuit claims.
According to the lawsuit, Dotson and Herred were unarmed and “never threatened” Leto before the shooting.
Herred’s father, Jeremy Herred Sr., said his son is undergoing surgery Wednesday as he continues his recovery from the shooting. He said the families filed the lawsuit because they want “justice in every way possible.”
“Our kids went to the park to play and got shot by an employee,” he said. “It’s just crazy to me.”
The lawsuit accused Leto of “willful and wanton conduct” as well as battery and wrongful death, while alleging the Park District engaged in “willful and wanton hiring and retention.” The families claim the Park District breached its “duty of care” in employing Leto following a 2023 incident in which he was accused of shooting a neighbor’s dogs.
That incident led to a standoff with Chicago police, but because he was never arrested or convicted in that case, the incident didn’t surface during the Park District’s background check process.
A Park District spokesperson on Wednesday said in a statement they have received a copy of the lawsuit, adding that district officials “will review and respond to the case accordingly.”
Following the shooting, the Park District said it instituted several reforms that included adding a permanent security officer to Douglass Park and expanding safety training for staff “focused on de-escalation, mental health response, trauma-informed care, and active threat scenarios.”
The Park District previously called the shooting an “unthinkable tragedy” that has “shaken the Park District to its core and profoundly impacted the North Lawndale community, our staff, and the families of those harmed.” District leadership have said they “strongly support” the prosecution of Leto and remain “committed to pursuing justice for the victims of this heartbreaking tragedy.”
Documents published by the Park District in July also show that at least two patrons lodged complaints about Leto in the past. Both involved verbal altercations that were resolved on site by supervisors, and never formally documented in the district’s centralized human resources files, which may have escalated disciplinary action.
According to Neslund, when issues with Leto arose, the Park District would simply move him from pool to pool “like a chess piece.” He said the district must do a better job screening its potential hires and improve its discipline system when complaints about employees are lodged.
Neslund on Wednesday also claimed Leto was carrying not only a loaded handgun with him at the time of the shooting, but also two additional clips of ammunition and a plate of body armor.
“A lifeguard’s supposed to save lives, not take lives,” Neslund said. “There’s no reason for a lifeguard to be bringing a loaded handgun with extra clips to work.”
Leto remains in custody at the Cook County Jail pending trial.
Patty Wetli contributed to this story.
