CHICAGO, ILLINOIS: In a tragic incident in Portage Park, Chicago, an eight-year-old girl was killed after she was shot in the head by a neighbour who was upset with the noise made by children playing outside. The girl, Sarabi Medina, had just bought ice cream from an ice cream truck and was riding her scooter home when she was attacked by the gunman.
The shooting occurred around 9.40 pm on Saturday, August 5, night near the 3500 block of North Long Avenue as per WGNTV. The reports said the suspect approached a group of children from across the street and opened fire, hitting Sarabi in the head. The girl’s father, who witnessed the entire incident, tried to wrestle the gun away from the shooter and managed to shoot him in the face during the struggle as per Chicago Sun-Times.
Who was Sarabi Medina?
The gunman was shot above his left eye and was taken to the Illinois Masonic Medical Center in critical condition and placed into custody. A weapon was also recovered on the scene and charges are said to be pending. Sarabi was rushed to Stroger Hospital where she was later pronounced dead. She was identified by community activist Andrew Holmes who met with the grieving father and offered his condolences. Holmes said that Sarabi was a bright and cheerful child who loved to play with her friends and siblings. She was set to start fourth grade at Reinberg Elementary School this fall.
Neighbours of Sarabi’s family said that the shooter had a history of complaining about children making noise on the block and that they would try to avoid him. Megan Kelley, a family friend of Sarabi’s told the Sun-Times that the man would come out yelling at the children for playing and having fun.
The girl’s mother was killed in a shooting in 2019
“It just didn’t make sense, none of it made sense,” Kelley said. “Everybody in the community would just tell him they are just kids having fun playing, just let them be.”
Kelley also said that Sarabi’s family had been affected by gun violence before. The girl’s mother was killed in a shooting in 2019, leaving her father to raise four children on his own. “You kind of just stayed away from him,” Kelley said of the shooter. Another neighbour, James, described Sarabi as “daddy’s little girl” who was always riding her scooter back and forth on the street.
'She didn’t deserve to go'
He said that she did not deserve to die in such a senseless way. “She didn’t deserve to go,” he said. Stuffed animals and sunflowers were placed around a tree near the scene of the shooting as a tribute to Sarabi’s memory. Many people expressed their shock and sadness over the loss of another young life to gun violence in Chicago. "You killed an innocent child, an innocent baby girl for what reason? Now these parents have to mourn their baby and everything else, and every time they turn around and look, they'll know it was across the street. Nobody's going to let their kids come around here and play..." aid Sue Kyser, who lives nearby as per ABC 7.
Chicago Public Schools released a statement saying that they were devastated by the tragedy and that their thoughts and condolences were with Sarabi’s family and friends. “With great sadness, we are devastated at the loss of another young life. The thoughts and condolences of the entire Chicago Public Schools (CPS) family are with all those impacted by this tragedy.”
