An eight-year old girl was shot in the head and killed on the street in Chicago, Illinois today.  Police are clear that neither she nor her caregiver were the intended targets of gun violence, but rather that they were innocent bystanders.

A pool of blood could was visible at the scene of the crime and approximately 13 shell casings were found on the other side of the road.  No arrests have been made.

A later report identified the girl who was killed as Melissa Ortega, a third grader who had recently emigrated from Mexico. “Me arrebató mi vida entera. Me quito lo más hermoso. Me quito mi motor de vida por el que yo me levantaba todos los días a seguir adelante. Me quito una vida llena de sueños,” her mother said, meaning, “He took away my entire life. He took away the most beautiful part of it. He took away my purpose for being. The reason I got up every day. He took away a life full of dreams.”

Source:

Stephanie Casanova and John Kim, “8-year-old Girl Dies After Being Shot in the Head in Little Village, Police Say,” Chicago Tribune (January 22, 2022).

Michelle Gallardo, Craig Wall, Liz Nagy and Stephanie Wade, “’American Violence’ Took Life of 8-year-old Girl Months After Moving to Chicago From Mexico: Family,”  ABC7 Chicago (January 24, 2022).