A 15-year-old boy was tragically shot dead Sunday morning while helping his stepfather deliver newspapers in Chicago.
Chicago police said the shooter was driving a white car that rear-ended the vehicle with Brian Jasso and his stepfather, Erik Campeano.
The shooter then pulled up next to their car and shot Brian in the head. Brian was pronounced dead at 6.56am, according to the Chicago Tribune.
Brian Jasso (pictured), 15, was tragically shot dead Sunday morning while helping his stepfather deliver newspapers in a Chicago neighborhood
Police responded to the shooting around 6.45am in the LeClaire Courts neighborhood, an area that authorities said is known for gang violence.
Chicago police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said investigators are now trying to determine if the boy’s death was a case of mistaken identity.
Guglielmi said neither the teenager nor his stepfather is part of a gang but the shooter may be.
He said there’s been a gang war in the area between two Hispanic gangs.
Campeano is a longtime newspaper carrier for the Tribune’s parent company Tronc.
He told authorities that the white car first flashed its high beams at their SUV and started chasing them down.
Campeano stopped and someone from inside the white car opened fire, he said. He then pulled into a BP gas station and told Brian to run, but it was too late.
According to the newspaper, the man works as an independent contractor and usually delivers the Chicago Tribune as well as other newspapers, including the Chicago Sun-Times and The New York Times, officials said.
Brian’s mother said her son had picked up the paper route so he could make money to buy his sister a gift for her birthday.
‘I want to see the killer’s face,’ the mother told NBC.
Brian (pictured) was a freshman at Kelly High School in Chicago. Family members and friends took to social media to share heartfelt memories of their beloved friend and relative. One of Brian’s friends created a Flipagram video that included sweet snaps of the teen
Chicago police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said investigators are trying to determine if the boy’s death was a case of mistaken identity. Pictured is the area where the shooting occurred
Chicago Tribune publisher and editor Bruce Dold says the newspaper is ‘saddened and stunned by the news’.
The Cook County medical examiner’s office said an autopsy is scheduled for Monday.
Brian was a freshman at Kelly High School in Chicago.
Family members and friends took to social media to share heartfelt memories of their beloved friend and relative.
One of Brian’s friends created a Flipagram video that included sweet snaps of the teen when he was younger.
Videos of Brian also showed him at school, laughing and hanging out with his loved ones.
The video was captioned: ‘I can’t believe your gone.’
Brian’s death was one of six that occurred in Chicago over the weekend. Police are investigating whether or not the teen’s death was related to the other incidents.