A 9-year-old girl was shot and killed by her neighbor while riding her bike in Chicago on Tuesday afternoon.
The girl, identified as Sarabi Medina, was riding her bike in the 7800 block of South Paulina Street around 2:30 p.m. when she was struck by gunfire. She was taken to Comer Children’s Hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
Police said the shooter was a man who lives in the same building as the girl. He was taken into custody and is being questioned by investigators.
The motive for the shooting is unclear, but police said they are not ruling out that it was a case of mistaken identity.
The shooting has outraged residents of the neighborhood, who are calling for an end to gun violence.
“This is just senseless,” said one resident. “This is a little girl. She’s just a baby.”
Another resident said, “I’m scared to let my kids outside. I don’t know what’s going to happen.”
The shooting is a reminder of the gun violence that plagues Chicago. In 2022, there have been over 2,600 shootings in the city, resulting in over 700 deaths.
