A 19-year-old Chicago man charged with first-degree murder in the fatal shooting of a 17-year-old girl Friday afternoon outside a Southwest Side McDonald’s was ordered to be held without bond at his first court appearance Sunday.
Anthony Heredia, of the 4300 block of West 25th Place in Little Village, was arrested Friday shortly after allegedly shooting the girl in the back outside a McDonald’s in the 4300 block of West 26th Street, authorities said.
The shooting victim, identified by the Cook County medical examiner’s office as Tierra Franklin, of the 3700 block of West Cermak Road, had allegedly thrown a cup of water at an employee through the drive-thru window of the restaurant, prosecutors said during Heredia’s bond hearing Sunday afternoon.
Heredia, who was allegedly called to the restaurant by an employee who recognized the girl from a previous altercation at the restaurant, was outside when the incident occurred, prosecutors said. As Franklin was running toward a car in the parking lot, Heredia pulled a gun and fired twice, striking the girl once in the back, prosecutors said.
The girl got herself to St. Anthony’s Hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
Heredia was identified by multiple employees of the McDonald’s as having been in the restaurant immediately before the shooting and allegedly could be seen on surveillance video retrieving a spent casing from the scene, prosecutors said. The spent casing was found in his pocket when he was arrested a short time later near his home and matched another recovered at the seen, prosecutors.
In ordering Heredia held without bail, Circuit Judge Susana Ortiz highlighted that he was able to acquire a gun at the age of 19.
“I will note here that we have a 19-year-old who can obtain firearms more readily that he can obtain a pack of cigarettes,” Ortiz said. “That’s something we may want to look at.”
Heredia lives with foster parents and is under the supervision of the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services, his attorney, Assistant Public Defender Courtney Smallwood, said during the hearing. He is supposed to begin his senior year at private school Country Club Hills Tech and Trade in the fall, Smallwood said.
Heredia pleaded guilty in January to reckless discharge of a firearm in connection with a 2021 incident in Cicero and was sentenced to two years in prison. He was released in March with credit for time served.
Despite being encouraged not to say anything about his case, Heredia told the court Sunday, “I just want to apologize to the victim’s family.”
Franklin, who also was in the care of DCFS, was looking forward to her senior year at Curie High School and was anxiously awaiting the prom, a relative said from Florida, where family members were spending the Fourth of July holiday. Because of the death of Franklin’s mother, Keeyana Sanderson, from cancer two months ago, the girl stayed behind.
“It’s been so difficult for her and her younger sister,” said Wesley Bowman, who was reeling from the news of her slaying.
Relatives learned Franklin had walked up to the McDonald’s restaurant Friday where she was involved in an ongoing disagreement with an employee. Allegedly, the employee stepped away from the counter and called someone.
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Chicago police could not confirm the confrontation, but prosecutors said Heredia told police after his arrest that he was called to the store by an employee who was concerned about Franklin’s presence because of an earlier incident.
Relatives said the gunman followed the car and continued to fire, but the car wasn’t struck by gunfire.
In 2012, Franklin’s father was fatally wounded at a party on the 5100 block of Morgan in the Englewood neighborhood.
In June, another relative, 18, was shot multiple times on the Southwest Side, and is disabled due to his injuries.
The family was preparing to open a GoFundMe account for Franklin’s funeral arrangements.
