Chicago woman charged in fatal stabbing of 7-year-old girl

A 48-year-old Chicago woman has been charged with first-degree murder in connection with the fatal stabbing of a 7-year-old girl in the city’s Chatham neighbourhood, police said.

Shavon Gayden was charged with one felony count of first-degree murder following the Saturday morning incident, according to the Chicago Police Department.

Police said the girl was walking along a sidewalk in Chatham when a woman carrying a sharp object approached and attacked her. Bystanders pursued the woman and detained her until authorities arrived.

The child was identified by the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office as Edi Mari Hernandez Chacon. She was taken to Comer Children’s Hospital, where she was pronounced dead.

Gayden was initially due to appear at a court hearing Monday but was hospitalised with injuries that were not considered life-threatening, according to the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office.

Authorities have not disclosed whether Gayden knew the child or identified a possible motive. Police also said they were not releasing additional details about the investigation at this stage.

A security image from a nearby business reportedly showed the girl walking with an older woman shortly before the attack.

The child’s death has prompted an outpouring of grief from relatives and members of the community. In a fundraising appeal for funeral expenses, the girl’s uncle, Richard Hernandez Chacon, said her death had left the family facing profound grief.

The investigation remains ongoing as Gayden faces the first-degree murder charge.