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A seven-year-old girl was fatally stabbed in broad daylight while walking along a sidewalk on Chicago’s South Side, with bystanders chasing and detaining the suspected attacker before police arrived.
The child, identified by authorities as Edi Mari Hernandez Chacon, was walking in the 8600 block of South Cottage Grove Avenue in the Chatham area shortly before noon on Saturday, October 3, when a woman approached her.
Chicago police said the woman attacked the girl with a sharp object, stabbing her multiple times in the back.
Edi Mari was rushed to Comer Children’s Hospital, where she was later pronounced dead.
Witnesses quickly intervened following the attack. Several people chased the woman and detained her until officers arrived.
Police said the suspect suffered injuries while being detained and was taken to hospital for treatment before being placed in police custody.
Investigators have not publicly disclosed a motive for the attack. Police said the woman was not known to the child.
The killing has shocked residents of the Chatham community, particularly because it happened shortly before noon while the seven-year-old was simply walking along a neighbourhood sidewalk.
Alderman Michelle Harris expressed condolences to the child’s family and thanked the bystanders who intervened, saying their actions may have prevented further harm.
Chicago police detectives continue to investigate the circumstances surrounding the killing. No motive had been announced and police had not publicly announced charges in the immediate aftermath of the attack.
