Cops: 2 Teens Killed After Asking Shooter How Tall He Is

"I know it doesn't make any sense," says Chicago detective Brendan Deenihan, per KMOV. He's referring to the fatal shooting of two teenagers who asked their suspected shooter how tall he was. Victims Charles Riley, 16, and Jesean Francis, 17, were in a store buying candy when they encountered suspect Laroy Battle, 19, reports ABC News. Police say Battle is 6-3 or 6-4, and the teens commented on his height. “There was no altercation,” says Deenihan. “There was nothing that would have set off Battle to be angry at these kids. ... They literally just asked him how tall he was.”

The two victims walked out of the store with a third teen, and police say Battle began following them before opening fire. The third teen escaped. Multiple security cameras picked up Battle, who was quickly identified after police made the images public. Authorities arrested him in a motel and say he had cut off his hair in an apparent attempt to alter his appearance. Battle faces two counts of first-degree murder in the June 20 killings. (Over the weekend, three children were fatally shot in the city.)