A person of interest was taken into police custody Thursday in connection with the shooting death of a 7-year-old boy on the Near West Side this week.
Jai’mani Amir Rivera was stepping outside his home around 3 p.m. Tuesday in the 2300 block of West Jackson Boulevard when shots were fired, and he was struck in the chest, according to Chicago police and the Cook County medical examiner’s office.
Responding officers rendered aid to the boy, then rushed him to Stroger Hospital in their squad car. Jai’mani was pronounced dead at the hospital shortly after arriving, officials said.
Police said a person of interest related to the shooting was in custody, but no other information was released. Charges have not been filed.
Chicago police Supt. Larry Snelling said Tuesday that officers were canvassing the area and were checking for any video evidence that could help to identify the shooter.
Sources told the Sun-Times that an assault-style rifle may have been used in the attack. At least 11 rifle casings were found at the scene, an officer reported. It’s unclear if any weapon was recovered during Thursday’s arrest.
At a vigil Wednesday near the shooting scene, more than 100 people gathered to remember Jai’mani and call for justice in the attack.
Jai’mani’s aunt, Vanessa Rivera, remembered the boy as an “outgoing” kid who loved football. He had just received his jersey for the upcoming season.
“He was more than a nephew to me,” Rivera said. “We lost my nephew, a 7-year-old kid. … All I ask for is justice.”
The family has set up a GoFundMe to help cover costs, which had raised more than $18,000 of the $50,000 goal by Thursday evening.
At least 172 juveniles have been shot in Chicago this year, according to Snelling. Jai’mani is the eighth child aged 15 or younger to have been fatally shot this year, according to Sun-Times homicide data.
