CHICAGO — A teen charged in the shooting outside Benito Juarez High School that left two teens dead asked one of the people he shot about their gang affiliation before he started shooting, prosecutors say.

Christian Acevedo, 16, appeared in bond court Saturday after he was arrested and charged in connection with the Dec. 16 shooting. He is facing several charges in adult and juvenile courts, including murder and attempted murder.

A Cook County judge denied his bail and said life in prison is a possibility.

Thomas Darman, an assistant state’s attorney, said the shooting started when one of the people who was shot walked over to another group Acevedo was with and heard someone say there were Razas in the group.

Razas is a term identifying someone associated with the La Raza Street Gang, a street gang one of the people shot and killed had a known affiliation with, Darman said. Shortly after the encounter, Acevedo walked over to the other group of students.

Darman said that’s when Acevedo asked Brandon Perez if he was a Raza, Perez asked why he wanted to know and Acevedo started shooting.

Perez, a 15-year-old Benito Juarez student, and Nathan Billegas, a 14-year-old Bulls College Prep student, were both shot multiple times and died.

A 14-year-old boy, who was a student at UIC College Prep and with the group, was also shot.

A 14-year-old girl, who was a student at Benito Juarez High School, described by authorities as a “bystander student,” was also shot.

Acevedo attended Benito Juarez High School during the 2021-2022 school year, but prosecutors said he was expelled for behavior and academic and attendance issues.

Through their investigation, detectives were able to identify Acevedo as the suspect.

On Thursday, officers set up surveillance on his residence and saw him get into a Hyundai with a broken window, Darman said. The vehicle matched the description of a Hyundai involved in a shooting in the 1300 block of West Cullerton Street, which is still under investigation.

Acevedo eventually returned home, got out of the car with a rifle and ran inside, Darman said. Officers took three other people inside the Hyundai into custody and recovered 14 shell casings.

Once they got inside Acvedo’s residence and served a search warrant, they found four firearms, including three in a backpack, Darman said. They were all loaded and had extended magazines.

Three of the firearms also had switches on them to make them fully automatic.

Numerous rounds of ammunition were found in the garage, Darman said.

An attorney representing Acevedo said he lived with his father and two sisters.

His next court date is scheduled for March 3.