A woman in Illinois was arrested after she fatally stabbed a 7-year-old girl in a seemingly “unprovoked” attack while she was walking with her older sister.
Shavon Gayden was immediately taken into custody after the incident took place on Saturday, October 3. She has since been charged with one count of first-degree murder in connection to the death of Eddimar Paola Hernández Chacón.
The Chicago Police Department said in a press release that Gayden walked up to Chacón shortly before noon in the city’s Chatham neighborhood. She then pulled out a sharp object and lunged at the unsuspecting girl.
Officers said that Gayden “approached from the south and, unprovoked, produced a knife and began stabbing the victim,” according to a police report obtained by the Chicago Sun-Times.
Witnesses quickly intervened and Gayden was detained until officers arrived at the scene. Authorities said that Gayden was reportedly injured during the confrontation, and she was taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries before she was taken into custody.
Following the attack, Chacón was rushed to the University of Chicago Comer Children’s Hospital for treatment. However, the medical staff was not able to save her and she was pronounced dead at 1:01 p.m., per the Chicago Sun-Times.
Surveillance footage captured the harrowing incident. Shortly before the attack, Chacón was seen walking and holding hands with her older sister. Meanwhile, other footage showed pedestrians rushing toward the scene after Gayden stabbed the young girl, according to WLS.
When officers arrived at the scene, they found the young girl bleeding on the sidewalk as a crowd gathered around her, per the Chicago Sun-Times. Officers applied pressure to her wounds in an attempt to stop the bleeding. Once the ambulance arrived about 10 minutes later, police escorted the vehicle to the hospital.
Several bystanders chased Gayden after the stabbing, and one person stopped her when they hit her with jumper cables, according to WGN.
Investigators later found two knives in Gayden’s purse, and a third knife that was believed to have been used in the stabbing was discovered between the attack site and the location where she was found.
Gayden was scheduled to attend a detention hearing on Monday, October 5, at the Leighton Criminal Courthouse.
It is not currently clear if Gayden has entered a plea or retained legal counsel following her arrest. The Chicago Police Department did not immediately respond to Us’ request for comment regarding the case.
