Teenager accused of murdering Larry Neuman screamed ‘stand still,’ grabbed him and shot him: prosecutor

A teenager accused of killing a former Chicago police officer earlier this month grabbed the ex-cop, yelled “stand firm” and fired several shots, prosecutors said at a hearing Saturday before the boy was taken into custody.

Marquan Jones, 17, was the first to shoot Larry Neuman in the front yard of his home at 4300 West Monroe Street on June 20, Assistant District Attorney Eugene Wood said during a detention hearing. Jones will be charged as an adult with first-degree murder after being automatically transferred from juvenile court.

While Neuman was paying a man who had witnessed the shooting to help him mow his lawn, Jones and co-defendant, 16-year-old Lazarious Watt, approached him wearing ski masks and carrying guns, Wood said.

Jones grabbed Neuman, told him to “stand still,” and fired several shots before running into an alley to escape, Wood told Cook County Assistant Judge Shauna Boliker. Neuman reached for his own gun and returned a single shot.

When Neuman’s wife came outside, she found him with numerous gunshot wounds to his chest and leg, Wood said. It’s unclear who shot Neuman, but both defendants fired at least once, Wood said.

Police found bullet casings and Neuman’s gun at the scene and sent them for ballistics testing, Wood said.

The prosecution could not identify a motive for the shooting.

Before charges were filed, Jones turned himself in to police and cooperated, Wood said.

According to Wood, police analyzed numerous surveillance videos and identified Jones and Watt in footage taken near the crime scene. Jones’ public defender argued the evidence was not enough to keep Jones in custody because he had not seen the quality of the video.

Jones and Watt were both identified in the footage by several people, including witnesses and people they knew from the neighborhood and school. One witness was riding his bike near the crime scene before the shooting, greeted Neuman and saw Jones and Watt in an alley. Shortly afterward, he heard gunshots, Wood said.

Throughout the hearing, Jones sat next to his attorney in handcuffs and wearing a brown sweatshirt with “JTDC” on the back, which stood for “Juvenile Temporary Detention Center.” As the prosecution and defense made statements, he looked down or swiveled in his chair.

Jones has denied the charges and his attorney reiterated that he is presumed innocent until proven guilty. Jones’ attorney argued that the evidence presented by prosecutors was not “clear and convincing” enough to prove he was a threat to the community and urged that Jones be released under electronic monitoring.

Boliker ruled that Jones should be taken into custody.

“I don’t believe you pose that kind of threat,” Boliker told Jones in court. “I don’t believe there is a combination of conditions that would ensure the safety of the community.”

Neuman was honored as a loyal representative of his community, and hundreds gathered Saturday to pay their respects. He was a Vietnam veteran and the police’s longest-serving bomb disposal technician until he retired in 2010 after 28 years. After retiring from the police force, he became an explosives specialist for the Transportation Security Administration, worked at O’Hare and Midway airports, and eventually became a minister.

Jones’ next court date is July 2.