Chicago Girl, 7, Stabbed Repeatedly While Out for Walk With Older Sister in Broad Daylight, Suspect in Custody
A little girl was stabbed repeatedly in the back on Sunday and later died while walking with her older sister on a Chicago sidewalk.
According to numerous reports, the suspect in the senseless killing was a repeat violent offender.
A girl named Eddimar Hernandez Chacon and her sister were walking when police said a woman approached and stabbed Eddimar multiple times.
Video seen by police showed the woman walking away calmly after the fatal attack.
48-year-old Shavon Gayden was charged with first-degree murder in the fatal stabbing of 7-year-old Eddimar Paola Hernández.
Witnesses and police sources say the attack appeared to be random and that Hernández and Gayden did not know each other.
Full story: https://t.co/5ioQVhtQAF
— WGN TV News (@WGNNews) October 5, 2026
The attack occurred shortly before noon on Sunday on Chicago’s south side, according to WGN-TV.
Police charged Shavon Gayden, 48, with first-degree murder, CWB Chicago reported.
Witnesses chased Gayden, knocked her down, and beat her until she was unconscious after the unprovoked slaying.
Police quickly took her into custody.
Patrol officers attempted life-saving measures on Hernandez as a crowd of angry locals gathered.
Paramedics took the little girl to the University of Chicago’s Comer Children’s Hospital, where she was soon pronounced dead.
Investigators reportedly found two knives in Gayden’s purse and a third knife, which is believed to be the murder weapon, between the attack site and the place she was stopped by the crowd.
The stabbing appeared random, and the child and Gayden reportedly did not know each other, sources told WGN-TV.
Court records show Gayden had a violent past and an outstanding felony warrant for more than 18 months at the time of her arrest.
#BREAKING: Shavon Gayden, 48, is now charged with first degree murder in the stabbing that killed 7-year-old Eddimar Paola Hernández Chacon yesterday in Chicago’s Chatham neighborhood. Gayden is accused of stabbing Eddimar in the back several times as she was walking down the street with her older sister.
Witnesses tell me bystanders chased down Gayden, beat her, and detained her. She was hospitalized so no new mugshot has been released. This is an older booking photo from a separate case.
— Courtney Spinelli (@CourtSpinelliTV) October 5, 2026
She reportedly pleaded guilty in November 2024 to aggravated battery of a bus driver and received two years of probation.
She reportedly violated her probation when she was later arrested for a separate alleged assault and battery.
Local prosecutors did not comment on why Gayden was not in jail at the time of the attack.
Alderwoman Michelle Harris of the city’s 8th Ward said the murder was “senseless.”
“I am deeply saddened by the senseless stabbing of a 7-year-old child in our neighborhood,” she said. “My heart goes out to her family, friends, and everyone who is affected by this horrific incident. No child should ever have to experience violence or fear while simply walking down the sidewalk.”
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