Man charged in assault rifle killings of 3 teens

Accused in Chicago attacks was previously acquitted in 2005 fatal shooting

Chicago Police Dept. via AP	Martin Ybarra is accused of killing three teenagers in Chicago.

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updated 3:49 a.m. ET Feb. 27, 2009

CHICAGO - A man was charged Thursday with first-degree murder in the shootings of three teenagers last week that authorities believe involved an assault rifle.

Martin Ybarra, 20, is accused of killing the three teens in the city's South Side on Feb. 20, said Cook County state's attorney spokesman Andy Conklin.

Ybarra was scheduled to appear before a judge for a bond hearing Friday, said state's attorney spokeswoman Tandra Simonton. It was not immediately clear if he had an attorney, and he did not have a telephone listing.

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Assault rifle recovered
Ybarra was arrested Tuesday after witnesses and residents came forward, police said in a statement. Police said shells from the shooting indicated an assault rifle was the murder weapon and that an assault rifle had been recovered.

The Cook County Medical Examiner's office said Johnny Edwards, 13; Kendrick Pitts, 17, and Raheem Washington, 15, died of gunshot wounds.

A police investigation into the teens' deaths continues.

Ybarra previously was acquitted in a fatal shooting of a 19-year-old man in 2005. Officials said that shooting occurred within a block of the latest deaths.