Financial Support For Carlishia Hood Refunded After Murder Charges Were Dropped

Donations for a mother and son accused of murder are being returned to senders after charges were dropped.

Carlishia Hood and her 14-year-old son walked free after first-degree murder charges against them were dropped on June 26, for the death of Jeremy Brown, 32. The Chicago mom is planning to sue, according to CBS News. She did not comment after her release.

BLACK ENTERPRISE previously reported the events that led to the murder charges. Hood was captured in video footage standing in line at a Maxwell Street Express restaurant in Chicago. Her unnamed 14-year-old son reportedly waited for her in the car. Footage showed an altercation between Hood and Brown, who was also in the restaurant. Audio from the video revealed Brown threatened Hood saying, “Lady, get your food! Say one more thing; I’m going to knock you out!” After which, Brown struck Hood in the head, punching her multiple times.

According to CBS News, a second video showed Brown’s 14-year-old son approaching the restaurant’s front door after his mother texted him for help. The boy pulled a handgun from his hoodie and shot Brown in the back. The outlet reported Brown fled the scene while Hood and her son chased him. The mother reportedly ordered her son to shoot and kill her attacker. Brown was shot in the back again and died later.

A judge initially ruled that Hood and her son had committed first-degree murder, based on the footage that showed Brown being shot after running away. However, after further investigation by the State Attorney’s Office, charges against the mother and son were dropped because it was determined that they resorted to deadly force in self-defense.

More than $10,000 is being refunded to people who donated to help Hood and her son. Hood was held on a $3 million bail, and her son was charged as a juvenile without bail, NewsOne reported. Hood’s family collected the donations on GiveSendGo. The page now reads that the campaign is “unpublished.”