A 48-year-old woman named Shavon Gayden has been charged with first-degree murder after fatally stabbing a 7-year-old girl in Chicago’s East Chatham neighborhood on Saturday. The attack occurred around noon when Eddimar Paola Hernández Chacón was walking with her sister; she later died at the hospital. Surveillance footage shows bystanders rushing to help, and two men chased down Gayden, who had non-threatening injuries herself. Legal documents reveal that Gayden has a history of assault and probation violations.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-10-05,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
On Saturday, a seven-year-old girl named Edimari Hernandez Chacon was fatally stabbed while walking down the street in the Chatham neighborhood of Chicago. The attack occurred around noon when an unknown woman approached her and stabbed her multiple times in the back with a sharp object. Bystanders rushed to help, detaining the suspect until police arrived. The girl was transported to Comer Children's Hospital where she was pronounced dead. Surveillance footage showed several witnesses running to chase down the assailant before police took over. Police later identified the woman as Shavon Gayden, 48, who has been charged with first-degree murder and is in custody. Her motive remains unclear.
Written for “Little Girl Stabbed To Death” on 2026-10-05,
grounded in this article and the 4 other(s) covering the same event.
A woman has been charged with murder after a 7-year-old girl was stabbed to death in a Chicago street.
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girl → charge → street
Eddimar Paola Hernández Chacón was stuck multiple times around noon Saturday, by a woman she did not know, authorities told NBC Chicago.
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authorities → stick → Chicago
Shavon Gayden, 48, has now been charged with first-degree murder after the attack in the city’s East Chatham neighborhood, Chicago police confirmed.
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police → charge → neighborhood
Richard Hernández Chacón, the girl’s uncle, shared a tribute to her on a GoFundMe page launched to help give her a “dignified farewell.”
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Chacón → share → farewell
“To our family, Eddimar will always be a very special girl,” the tribute, translated from Spanish, reads.
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tribute → translate → Spanish
“Her passing leaves an indescribable void and immense pain for all of us who loved her.”
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who → leave → her
A vigil for Eddimar was held Sunday, with members of her family and the local community gathering near the scene of the attack.
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members → hold → attack
Those present let off white balloons in tribute.
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Those → let → tribute
Pedro Izquierdo, Eddimar’s stepfather, opened up to ABC7 Chicago about his stepdaughter’s death.
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Izquierdo → open → death
“She was happy,” he said in Spanish.
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he → say → Spanish
“She had dreams to be big.”
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She → have → dreams
Surveillance footage obtained by NBC Chicago depicts the aftermath of the stabbing and shows bystanders rushing over to an area that appears to be where Eddimar was attacked.
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Eddimar → obtain → area
The girl, who Alderman Michelle Harris said was walking with her 16-year-old sister at the time of the attack, later died at Comer Children’s Hospital.
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Harris → say → Hospital
Witnesses told WGN that two men, one of whom held an object resembling jumper cables, chased down the suspect after the attack.
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one → tell → attack
“He whacked her with it.
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He → whack → it
She fell, he whacked her again,” William Smith, a witness, said.
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Smith → fall → her
“Then they just started dropping the hammers on her.”
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they → start → her
Gayden was arrested and taken to the hospital for non-threatening injuries.
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Gayden → arrest → injuries
Legal documents obtained by ABC7 Chicago found Gayden was arrested in 2023 for attacking the driver of a CTA bus, and sentenced to two years' probation.
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Gayden → obtain → probation
In 2024, Gayden assaulted two shelter workers - violating her probation, per ABC.
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Gayden → assault → ABC
A warrant was issued for her arrest after she failed to appear in court, having been sentenced to court supervision.
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she → issue → supervision
Kina Wallace told CBS News Chicago that Gayden had previously been in a relationship with one of her family members, who had children with him.
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who → tell → him
The mother was later treated for substance abuse and mental health issues, Wallace said.
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Wallace → treat → abuse
“Myself and even on behalf of my family, we are so sorry,” she added.
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she → add → family
“So sorry that this happened to your loved one, because I believe that this could have been prevented.
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this → happen → one
I do and it's unacceptable.”
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it → do → ?
The Aporia
