Chicago Police Superintendent Larry Snelling speaks at a news conference on June 21, 2024. (Chicago Police Department)
A 16-year-old has been charged with first-degree murder in the shooting death of a 7-year-old boy on the Near West Side earlier this week, police announced Friday.
The male teen, whose name was not released because he is a juvenile, was arrested at his home on Thursday afternoon in the 1800 block of W. Monroe Street, according to police.
Jai’Mani Amir Rivera, 7, was killed outside of his apartment building in the 2300 block of West Jackson Boulevard around 3 p.m. June 18, police said.
Officers received a report of shots fired and responded to the scene, where they found the boy with a gunshot wound to his chest, said Police Superintendent Larry Snelling earlier this week. Officers attempted life-saving measures and rushed him to Stroger Hospital in their squad car, where he was pronounced dead.
“Jai’Mani’s life was taken from him. For what?” Snelling said in a Friday news conference announcing the charges. “There is no excuse for this violence. It is unacceptable that we have Chicagoans losing their lives. It’s absolutely maddening, heartbreaking that innocent children are dying in our city. Parents should not have to bury their children.”
In video recovered at the scene by detectives, the 16-year-old was seen approaching on foot before he stopped, opened fire on Jai’Mani and then fled on foot, said Chief of Detectives Antoinette Ursitti. He was about 300 feet away from the boy, police said.
About 13 rifle casings were recovered as part of the investigation, Ursitti said. The weapon used in the shooting has not been recovered.
Officers in the 12th District recognized the teen and provided detectives his identity, Ursitti said. The teen had an active warrant for failure to appear in court on an unrelated robbery arrest, Ursitti said.
“We can’t give you a confirmed motive for why this happened,” Ursitti said. “There is no justification or explanation that would make it any better but this is the senselessness that we are talking about.”
WTTW News reporter Matt Masterson contributed.
