Teen charged with murder of 7-year-old, Chicago police say

CHICAGO (DT) — A 16-year-old boy faces a first-degree murder charge after a 7-year-old boy was shot to death in Chicago, authorities announced at a news conference Friday.

The Chicago Police Department said the suspect had a criminal history, including an active arrest warrant for an unrelated assault.

The teenager has not been identified because he is a minor.

Jai'Mani Amir Rivera was shot and killed Tuesday while he was at home by a stray bullet in front of his apartment building. Authorities said he was not targeted, noting that investigators had not identified any other targets.

Chief of Detectives Antoinette Ursitti said investigators have not yet found the weapon used in the shooting, adding that about 13 rifle casts were recovered at the scene and were being processed. The motive for the shooting was not immediately clear, she said.

“We all understand that this doesn’t make sense,” Ursitti said. “We can't give you a confirmed reason for why this happened. There's no justification or explanation that would make things better, but this is nonsense we're talking about.”

According to WBBM, the shooting was captured on a security camera as officers recognized the teen and found him.