Siblings from Chicago accused of fatally shooting recent Oak Park-River Forest high school grad during carjacking

A brother and sister from Chicago are facing charges in the shooting death of 18-year-old Jailyn Logan-Bledsoe, fatally shot during a robbery and carjacking in Oak Park last month, officials said.

Logan-Bledsoe, a recent graduate of Oak Park-River Forest High School, was remembered as a fierce advocate and organizer for her work in the community.

Kenneth Elliott, 21, and his 17-year-old sister, Adrianna Vanzant, were taken into custody Thursday in Chicago and have been charged with first-degree murder, according a statement posted on the village of Oak Park’s website.

Though Vanzant is a minor, she was charged as an adult given the nature of the crime, according to the site.

Police say Elliott and Vanzant were armed with handguns when they approached Logan-Bledsoe from behind and opened fire around 1:50 a.m. June 22 in a gas station parking lot at 100 Chicago Ave.

Logan-Bledsoe was shot in the neck and died a short while later, officials said.

Vanzant fled the scene in Logan-Bledsoe’s vehicle while Elliot fled in a separate vehicle, police said. Logan-Bledsoe’s vehicle was later recovered in the 200 block of North Kilbourn Avenue in Chicago, police said.

Elliot, of the 1700 block of North Linder Avenue, was scheduled to appear Friday morning in the 4th Municipal District Court in Maywood.

Vanzant, of the 900 block of North Monticello Avenue, was transferred to the Cook County Juvenile Detention Center and was expected to appear in bond court via Zoom on Friday.

Logan-Bledsoe was remembered by some in the Oak Park area as a fierce advocate and organizer for her work in the community as well as her “brilliance” and “confidence.”

“She was a very powerful, brilliant young woman that definitely cared deeply about her community,” said Cynthia Brito, the teen’s adviser at the Revolutionary Oak Park Youth Action League, a youth-led community organization that has advocated for racial equality.

Logan-Bledsoe was in the Class of 2022 at OPRF High School, which had its commencement on May 28.

Logan-Bledsoe was planning to attend college in Miami and pursue a career in tech, according to Brito.

In addition to her work with ROYAL, which centered around combating police violence, LGBTQ issues and more, Logan-Bledsoe chaired the youth committee for the NAACP.

Brito said ROYAL would be advocating for the BP gas station to close earlier — around 11 p.m. — but emphasized that in addition to addressing the immediate safety concerns posed by the shooting and related incidents, community leaders and members should consider other factors that could lead to violence.