A 16-year-old boy has been charged with first-degree murder in the shooting death of retired Chicago police officer Larry Neuman, authorities announced this week. The teen, who is being tried as an adult, was charged in connection with Neuman’s death on June 20, said Chicago Police Superintendent Larry Snelling. A second suspect is still at large.
Neuman was shot outside his home at around 11:30 a.m. while paying someone who was cutting his grass, according to Fox Chicago. Police said Neuman noticed two individuals with guns while he was outside.
“Seeing that these two individuals were armed, Neuman heroically pushed the worker out of harm’s way. Neuman then retrieved his firearm from his waistband,” said Chicago Police Chief of Detectives Antoinette Ursitti.
Two teenage suspects were captured on surveillance video prior to the killing of retired Chicago police officer Larry Neuman last week, according to the Chicago Police Department.
The two suspects opened fire, wounding Neuman. Neuman also fired shots as the suspects fled on foot. He was taken to a hospital where he later died. The arrested teen turned himself in after authorities released surveillance footage of the two suspects.
“He worked with young people to create a safe environment,” Snelling said. “Larry worked to bring peace to his neighborhood, to show our young people there is a better way. In a brazen and senseless act of violence, Larry’s life was taken from him by the very people he committed his life to helping.”
Neuman joined the Chicago Police Department in the early 1980s and moved to the Bomb and Arson Section in 1988. He retired from the department in 2010, police said.
“It is with great sadness we mourn the loss of the longest serving explosives technician with the Chicago Police Bomb Squad and a very wonderful human being. Larry was a wealth of knowledge and truly a joy to be around,” the Chicago Police Bomb Squad posted on X. “We pray for his soul and his family during this time.”
After retiring, Neuman became a minister and worked for the Transportation Security Administration at both Midway International Airport and O’Hare International Airport.
“Just an all-out good person,” said Alderman Jason Ervin, who represents the city’s 28th Ward. “This is a tough loss today for the City of Chicago.”
