A 7-Year-Old Girl Was Walking With Her Sister in Chicago — Police Say a Stranger Suddenly Attacked Her

Police say Eddimar Paola Hernández Chacón was walking hand-in-hand with her teenage sister along South Cottage Grove Avenue when a woman she did not know approached and stabbed her multiple times in the back.

Bystanders rushed in and detained the suspect until police arrived.

Eddimar was taken to Comer Children’s Hospital, where she was pronounced dead. AP News

The accused attacker, 48-year-old Shavon Gayden, has now been charged with first-degree murder.

And prosecutors say the killing appears to have been completely unprovoked. AOL.com

She was simply walking with her sister

The attack happened shortly before noon on October 3 in Chicago’s East Chatham neighborhood.

Prosecutors say Eddimar and her teenage sister had gone to a nearby Boost Mobile store to pay a phone bill.

Surveillance footage reportedly showed the two girls walking hand-in-hand as they left the store and continued along the sidewalk.

Moments later, prosecutors say Gayden approached them.

Police say she stabbed Eddimar multiple times in the back with a sharp object. NBC Chicago

There is no indication that the suspect knew the child.

Authorities have not identified any motive.

Bystanders stepped in immediately

The attack happened in broad daylight and was witnessed by people nearby.

Several bystanders moved quickly to restrain Gayden until police arrived, according to investigators.

Gayden sustained injuries while being detained and was later taken to a hospital before being placed in police custody. NBC Chicago

That intervention likely prevented the situation from escalating further.

But by then, Eddimar had already suffered fatal injuries.

Police say the suspect had just been involved in another confrontation

New details presented in court suggest Gayden had been involved in a separate altercation shortly before the stabbing.

Prosecutors said she had allegedly threatened an employee at a nearby wireless store before leaving and walking in the opposite direction.

Eddimar and her sister then encountered her outside.

Police have not publicly established whether that earlier confrontation had anything to do with what happened next. NBC Chicago

For now, investigators continue to describe the stabbing as an apparently random attack.

The suspect missed her first court appearance

Gayden was scheduled to appear in court on Monday after being charged with first-degree murder.

However, she remained hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries and did not attend the hearing in person.

A judge ordered her detained pending further proceedings. Her next court hearing was set for October 7. NBC Chicago

The Cook County Public Defender’s Office has been assigned to represent her.

The charges are allegations, and Gayden is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.

Her mother says she needed help

Gayden’s mother later spoke publicly and said her daughter needed help.

She also expressed condolences to Eddimar’s family.

No formal explanation has been given for Gayden’s alleged behavior, and authorities have not announced any diagnosed mental-health condition connected to the case. NBC Chicago

That leaves one of the biggest questions unanswered:

Why would a stranger attack a child she had never met?

Eddimar’s family is asking for justice

The 7-year-old’s death has devastated her family and shaken the surrounding community.

Her mother, Estefany Hernandez, publicly called for justice and said her daughter’s death should not be forgotten.

Neighbors gathered for a vigil near the location where Eddimar was attacked, leaving flowers and remembering the child. People.com

Community leaders have also condemned the violence.

Alderwoman Michelle Harris said no child should have to experience fear or violence while simply walking down a sidewalk. NBC Chicago

A normal walk turned into a tragedy

What makes this case especially disturbing is how ordinary the moments before the attack appeared to be.

Two sisters were walking together in broad daylight.

They had just finished a simple errand.

There was no known dispute, no reported connection to the suspect and no warning that anything was about to happen.

Then, within seconds, one child was fatally wounded.

Police now have a suspect in custody.

But the question of why remains unresolved.

And for Eddimar’s family, no answer will undo what happened on that sidewalk.