CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- Two teenagers have been charged in this week’s death of a 73-year-old Vietnam Marine veteran who was beaten during an attempted carjacking in Hyde Park on Chicago's South Side.
Keith Cooper, 73, had gone to run errands at Kimbark Plaza Shopping Center, near 53rd Street and Kimbark Avenue, in Hyde Park on Wednesday afternoon when two men approached and punched him in the head. It is thought that the men had planned to rob him and steal his car; but instead, after Cooper fell to the ground, the attackers ran off.
He was taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center, where he died after suffering cardiac arrest.
Related
With the help of witnesses, the two attackers were pointed out and arrested a short time later.
Frank Harris, 18, was charged with one count each of murder and aggravated vehicular hijacking, police said.
A 17-year-old boy, who was not named due to his age, was charged with first-degree murder and attempted aggravated battery to a person over 60. He is the same age as Cooper's granddaughter.
Cooper had served in the Marines and did two tours in Vietnam. He loved jazz, Star Trek, and horror movies, according to his daughter.
Harris and the 17-year-old boy are scheduled to appear in court Friday.
Related
