Lawrence McNeal, a 64-year-old African American man, was fatally shot on October 25, 2020, in the Brainerd neighborhood of Chicago. McNeal was talking to someone he knew in a car in the 9000 block of South Laflin Street when shots were fired. He was struck in the face and taken to Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, where he was later pronounced dead.
An autopsy ruled his death a homicide, and Area Two detectives are investigating the case.
The suspect in McNeal's murder is Jesse Howard, a 76-year-old man who allegedly shot McNeal over a pack of cigarettes. According to prosecutors, Howard had been buying cigarettes from McNeal for years and refused to pay for a pack on the day of the incident. After McNeal handed Howard the cigarettes, Howard allegedly walked away with them and got into his parked Cadillac. McNeal followed Howard, and a witness heard McNeal say he was going to break Howard's window. As McNeal was trying to free his wrist from the car window, Howard shot him. McNeal fell to the ground and was taken to the hospital, where he later died.
Howard was pulled over in his blood-spattered Cadillac about 10 minutes after the shooting. Police found the unopened pack of cigarettes and a revolver in the car. Howard admitted to detectives that he shot McNeal and expressed regret that he should have robbed McNeal of all his money and cigarettes. Howard was denied bail and held without bail while awaiting trial.
The case against Howard is ongoing, and the investigation continues as authorities work to gather more evidence and build a stronger case.
