8-year-old Chicago girl fatally shot in the head after getting ice cream for her and her dad
08/07/2023 2:18 pm PDT
CHICAGO (TCD) -- An 8-year-old girl died over the weekend in Chicago’s Portage Park neighborhood after her neighbor allegedly shot and killed her because he thought she made too much noise.
WGN-TV reports Chicago Police Department officers were called to a home Saturday, Aug. 5, on the 3500 block of North Long Avenue for a report of a shooting. The victim, a juvenile female, was reportedly on her scooter after getting ice cream when the suspect approached her and killed her.
The victim was later identified as Sarabi Medina, according to WLS-TV.
Medina’s father reportedly saw the gunman, who was not identified, approach them outside their home, and the father tried to intervene. Medina, however, was shot in the head. The suspect also got a gunshot wound to the face from his own firearm. Activist Andrew Holmes told WLS the father "ran over there, football-tackled this guy."
WLS reports medics transported Medina to Stroger Hospital in critical condition, but she later died from her injuries. The suspect was taken to Illinois Masonic Medical Center, also in critical condition.
A Medina family friend, Megan Kelley, told WFLD-TV, "The neighbor, he would always just come out and kind of yell at all the kids on the block. Any time they were playing, he would yell at them being too loud, too noisy."
A neighbor said of Medina, "She was sweet. She would just ride her scooter up and down the sidewalk smiling. An innocent, innocent girl who did not deserve that."
Medina’s mother also reportedly died from gun violence.
MORE:
TRUE CRIME DAILY: THE PODCAST covers high-profile and under-the-radar cases every week. Subscribe to our YouTube page for podcasts, exclusive videos, and more, and don’t forget to follow us on TikTok.