June 07--The second man charged in connection with a robbery attempt that ended with a woman killed by a pickup on Lake Shore Drive was one of several people who surrounded the woman and her boyfriend and then chased them onto the road, prosecutors said Monday.
Devonte M. Dodd, 20, was ordered held in lieu of $250,000 bail Monday on charges of murder, attempted robbery with a firearm and misdemeanor mob action in connection with the death of Pamela Johnson, 32, and injury of her boyfriend early May 29.
Johnson and her 43-year-old boyfriend were sitting on the lakefront in the 600 block of North Lake Shore Drive when Dodd, Semaj Waters, 18, who also is charged in the case, and a third person broke off from a group of about 13 people and surrounded the couple, prosecutors said Tuesday. Waters stood in front of them with his hand in a backpack he was carrying on his front, while Dodd and the third person stood "closely behind" them for about a minute.
Johnson's boyfriend became concerned about the three, but when other people came by, the three moved off, north, prosecutors said. Johnson's boyfriend decided that they should "flee across Lake Shore Drive" if the group came back, prosecutors said.
Dodd, Waters, and the third person met up with a fourth person along with some of the others the four had gone to the lakefront with earlier in the day, and started walking toward Johnson and her boyfriend, prosecutors said. Chicago police surveillance cameras caught the group following Dodd, Waters and the other two as they went back toward the couple.
Johnson and her boyfriend, thinking that the group was headed toward them, climbed over the barrier to Lake Shore Drive, prosecutors said. The boyfriend heard one of the group yell "We have a runner," as Dodd, Waters and the others jumped the barriers also and began chasing them onto the drive.
Waters pulled out a gun after he jumped the barrier, as he, Dodd and the others ran after the couple, prosecutors said. At some point, police said, Dodd announced a robbery.
When the boyfriend got to the center median, he turned around and saw Dodd, Waters and the others chasing them and Waters holding a gun, prosecutors said.
After they got into the southbound lanes, Johnson was hit and killed by a truck and her boyfriend injured. The attackers ran past the couple and west of Lake Shore Drive, then west on Superior Street.
A police car pulled up soon after, and the boyfriend told police what had happened, but officers were unable to catch anyone from the group, prosecutors said. Cameras from Northwestern and the CTA's Red Line Chicago Avenue stop captured photos of the group.
Dodd, Waters and several other people turned themselves in to police after their photos were released by police. Several of the photos show Dodd walking with Waters, while wearing a distinctive floppy hat, and a witness identified Dodd as one of those who jumped the barriers before Johnson died, prosecutors said.
Police on Sunday credited Dodd's arrest to tips from the community after authorities released photos of several "persons of interest" from surveillance footage.
On Monday, Judge Peggy Chiampas ordered Dodd held on $250,000 bail. If he posts bond, Dodd he has to stay at a relative's in the 5900 block of North Ravenwood Avenue 24-7 except when going to school or his attorney's office.
Dodd's attorney Steven Hunter said his client has his GED and recently became a father . Hunter said his client had been cooperating and voluntarily gone in twice for police questioning.
"Devonte is looking forward to clearing his name, he has cooperated in this case...we feel that when all the facts are known the public perception will change."
Dodd's family "They know Devonte to be a nice young man and not the type of person that would do the things he's accused of," Hunter said.
Waters, 18, had his bond set Saturday at $500,000.
On Friday, relatives said Waters is innocent and insisted that he and friends were running away from the same gunman as Pamela Johnson, 32, early last Sunday.
"My little brother did not do this," a tearful Latisha Waters said after a news conference outside police headquarters as the charges were announced. "He's innocent."
Police said last week that they were questioning six "people of interest," two adults and four juveniles.
The Chicago Tribune's Tony Briscoe and Steve Schmadeke contributed.
