(TheProudRepublic.com) – In a tragic turn of events, two workers of Chicago’s most cherished tourist spot, Navy Pier, were brutally murdered by a disgruntled ex-employee with a prior felony conviction.
36-year-old Raylon East faces two counts of first-degree murder for the fatal shooting of former co-workers 51-year-old Lamont Johnson and 47-year-old Peter Jennings at Navy Pier.
The incident occurred in a loading dock area near an administrative office, turning the popular tourist destination into a crime scene.
East, who had been fired from his job at Levy Restaurants on October 14, allegedly confronted the victims at their work desks before opening fire. The victims were rushed to Northwestern Memorial Hospital but succumbed to their injuries.
Adding to the outrage, East is also charged with unlawful use of a weapon by a felon, highlighting the failure of gun control laws to keep firearms out of the hands of criminals.
East’s prior aggravated robbery conviction from 2008 should have prevented him from possessing a firearm, yet he managed to obtain one and carry out this heinous act.
Meanwhile, surveillance footage captured East entering the loading dock area and later discarding the murder weapon into Lake Michigan. He then fled the scene using public transportation, evading immediate capture.
Law enforcement’s efforts to arrest East included releasing surveillance photos showing him on a CTA bus wearing a black North Face hoodie.
After an extensive search, East turned himself in at the 3rd District police station on Thursday, two days after the shooting.
The Chicago Police Department’s Marine Unit recovered a semi-automatic pistol and the CPD Firearms Unit said there is a “high-confidence correlation between the gun and the casings that were recovered” at the shooting scene.
This tragic incident serves as a stark reminder of the consequences of soft-on-crime policies and the importance of robust security measures in liberal cities’ public spaces.
It also raises questions about workplace safety protocols and the need for better background checks and monitoring of terminated employees.
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