A woman in Illinois has been arrested for fatally stabbing a 7-year-old girl in a seemingly “unprovoked” attack as the child walked with her older sister. Police took Shavon Gayden into custody immediately after the incident on Saturday, October 3.
She now faces one count of first-degree murder in 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 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 stepped in and held Gayden until officers arrived. Authorities said Gayden was reportedly hurt during the confrontation, so officers took her to a hospital for non-life-threatening injuries before placing her in custody. After the attack, paramedics rushed Chacón to the University of Chicago Comer Children’s Hospital for treatment.
Medical staff could not save her, and they pronounced her dead at 1:01 p.m., per the Chicago Sun-Times. Surveillance footage captured the harrowing incident. Just before the attack, cameras showed Chacón walking and holding hands with her older sister. Other footage showed pedestrians rushing toward the scene after Gayden stabbed the young girl, according to WLS.
When officers arrived, they found the girl bleeding on the sidewalk as a crowd gathered around her, per the Chicago Sun-Times. Officers applied pressure to her wounds to try to stop the bleeding. About 10 minutes later, an ambulance arrived, and police escorted it to the hospital. Several bystanders chased Gayden after the stabbing, and one of them stopped her by hitting her with jumper cables, according to WGN.
Investigators later found two knives in Gayden’s purse. They also discovered a third knife, believed to be the one used in the stabbing, somewhere between the attack site and the spot 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 whether Gayden has entered a plea or retained legal counsel since her arrest. The Chicago Police Department did not immediately respond to Us’ request for comment on the case.
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