Woman fatally stabbed 7-year-old girl walking with sibling in 'unprovoked' weekend attack: Police

A 48-year-old pistillate successful Illinois is accused of randomly attacking and sidesplitting a 7-year-old girl, allegedly stabbing the kid successful the backmost aggregate times arsenic she walked with her older sister connected a Chicago sidewalk.

Shavon Gayden was taken into custody instantly aft the incidental and charged with 1 number of first-degree murder successful the slaying of Eddimar Paola Hernández Chacón, authorities announced.

According to a press release from the Chicago Police Department, Gayden walked up to the miss soon earlier noon Saturday successful the 8600 artifact of South Cottage Grove Avenue successful the city's Chatham neighborhood, pulled retired a crisp entity and stabbed her.

"The offender approached from the southbound and, unprovoked, produced a weapon and began stabbing the victim," officers wrote successful a constabulary study obtained by the Chicago Sun-Times.

Witnesses intervened aft the stabbing and detained Gayden until officers arrived, constabulary said. Gayden was reportedly injured during the confrontation and taken to a infirmary with non-life-threatening injuries earlier being placed successful constabulary custody.

Eddimar was taken to the University of Chicago Comer Children's Hospital, wherever the aesculapian unit pronounced her dormant astatine 1:01 p.m., the Sun-Times reported.

Surveillance footage obtained by investigators showed Eddimar walking hand-in-hand with her older sister soon earlier the attack. Other footage showed radical rushing toward the country aft the stabbing, section ABC affiliate WLS reported.

The Sun-Times reported that officers arriving astatine the country recovered the miss bleeding connected the sidewalk arsenic a assemblage gathered astir her. Officers applied unit to her wounds portion trying to get an ambulance to the location. An ambulance arrived astir 10 minutes later, and constabulary escorted it to Comer Children's Hospital.

Gayden was chased down by respective bystanders, 1 of whom struck her with jumper cables, knocking her down earlier respective radical subdued her, section CW affiliate WGN reported.

"He whacked her with it," a witnesser told the station, referring to the bystander with the jumper cables striking Gayden. "She fell, helium whacked her again. Then they conscionable started dropping the hammers connected her."

Investigators recovered 2 knives from Gayden's purse, portion a 3rd weapon believed to person been utilized successful the stabbing was recovered betwixt the onslaught tract and the determination wherever Gayden was subdued, according to CWBChicago, a section quality website.

Eddimar's family, friends and assemblage members gathered Sunday for a vigil astatine the spot wherever she was killed. Family members remembered her arsenic a blessed kid who loved to draw, play with her siblings and hold by the model for her parents to instrumentality from work.

Eddimar's mother, Estefany Hernandez, called for justice.

"My daughter's decease should not beryllium near similar this," Hernandez said, according to WLS. "There indispensable beryllium justness for my small girl. She wasn't bothering anyone."

Police person not released a imaginable motive.

Ald. Michelle Harris said Gayden had allegedly been progressive successful an altercation with employees astatine a adjacent wireless store earlier the stabbing. Police person not said whether that incidental was connected to Eddimar's death.

"No kid should ever person to acquisition unit oregon fearfulness portion simply walking down the sidewalk," Harris said successful a Facebook post. "I besides privation to admit and convey the bystanders who rapidly intervened — helping to detain the fishy and get assistance connected the way. Their speedy actions whitethorn person prevented further harm."

Gayden is scheduled for a detention proceeding Monday astatine the Leighton Criminal Courthouse.

Court records reviewed by CWB amusement Gayden pleaded blameworthy successful November 2024 to aggravated artillery of a CTA autobus operator and received 2 years of probation. She was arrested again the pursuing period connected misdemeanor artillery and battle charges, aboriginal pleaded blameworthy to those charges successful July 2025 and received tribunal supervision.

CWB reported that Gayden besides had an progressive apprehension warrant dating to February 2025 aft she failed to look for a presumption proceeding successful the probation case. That warrant remained progressive erstwhile she was arrested Saturday.

A GoFundMe for the victim's memorial is disposable here.