CHATHAM — The family of Eddimar Hernández Chacón is remembering the 7-year-old as a “very special girl” as new details emerged in court Monday about the woman accused of stabbing the girl to death on a Chatham sidewalk in an apparent outburst of violence.
Around noon Saturday, Eddimar was walking with his sister in the 8600 block of South Cottage Grove Avenue when Shavon Gayden approached the girl before showing her a knife and stabbing her several times in the back, police and prosecutors said.
Eddimar was taken to Comer Children’s Hospital, where she was pronounced dead, police said.
Security footage showed Gayden, 48, calmly walking away before bystanders chased her and detained her until police arrived, WGN reported. Gayden was injured in the process and was later taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
Gayden was charged with first-degree murder and was scheduled to appear in court Monday to answer to those charges, but her case continued as she remained hospitalized for a head injury she suffered while being restrained, prosecutors said.
Eddimar’s uncle, Richard Hernández Chacón, described the loss of his niece as heartbreaking in a GoFundMe post that raised nearly $4,000 toward a goal of $18,000 to cover funeral costs.
“With a heart full of sorrow, I am organizing this fundraiser to help our family cover the expenses caused by his passing,” he wrote in Spanish on the fundraising page. “In such a difficult time, we want to say a dignified farewell to Eddimar.
“For our family, Eddimar will always be a very special girl. Her passing leaves an indescribable void and immense pain for all of us who loved her. … May God welcome our little Eddimar into his arms and grant him eternal rest,” he added.
Prosecutors said Gayden threatened a saleswoman at a nearby store moments before she was caught on surveillance video approaching Eddimar and his 16-year-old sister, prosecutors said in court Monday.
Police recovered several knives from Gayden’s bag, prosecutors said. Gayden has an extensive criminal history, including four charges since 2016, including a 2023 conviction for assaulting a CTA bus driver, according to prosecutors.
She violated her probation in that case and was the subject of an arrest warrant for failure to appear in court, prosecutors said.
Gayden, of Avalon Park, is expected to appear Wednesday for his detention hearing.
Gayden’s mother, who did not give her name, apologized for her daughter’s actions in a telephone interview with ABC-7. She said her daughter had suffered from mental health issues for decades and her family struggled to provide her with the care she needed.
“The little baby didn’t deserve it. My daughter was not of sound mind,” she said.
Ald. Michelle Harris (8th) thanked bystanders for their help at the scene and said: “Our community must come together to support the victim and hold the perpetrator accountable.
“I am deeply saddened by the senseless attack of a 7-year-old child in our neighborhood,” Harris said in a statement. “My heart goes out to his family, friends and everyone affected by this horrific incident. No child should ever have to experience violence or fear by simply walking down the sidewalk.”
Mayor Brandon Johnson said he was heartbroken following the deadly attack.
“No family should have to experience the unimaginable pain of losing a child, and no child should have to fear for their life just by walking around their neighborhood,” Johnson said in a social media post. “My deepest condolences go out to the family and loved ones of this little girl, and the entire Chatham community, as we mourn this devastating loss.”
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