A man was charged with first-degree murder Monday after witnesses said an 9-year-old Chicago girl riding a scooter was fatally shot by someone upset over noise.
Michael Goodman, 43, appeared in Central Bond Court Monday on a charge of first-degree murder for the shooting death of 9-year-old Serabi Medina, who was fatally shot on Saturday night, police said.
The shooting happened Saturday night in Chicago's Portage Park neighborhood. Police were at Goodman's apartment building Sunday, interviewing people and collecting evidence, hours after the shooting.
"It just didn’t make sense. None of it made sense,” neighbor Megan Kelley told the Chicago Sun-Times. “Everybody in the community would just tell him they are just kids having fun playing. Just let them be.”
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"Before he shot her, he had said something about them being too loud,” Kelley said.
Another neighbor, who wished to remain anonymous for safety concerns, told NBC Chicago he saw the girl riding her scooter moments before the shooting happened at around 9:20 p.m.
"I had seen people yelling and the father was in the street yelling -- it was, it was just chaos," the neighbor said.
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After the shooting, the gunman was tackled by the girl's father and shot during a struggle, according to a police report. He was taken to a hospital.
"[The father] ran all the way over there, football tackled this guy and that weapon discharged," community activist and crisis responder Andrew Holmes said.
“He ran over there, football-tackled this guy," community activist Andrew Holmes said.
Stuffed animals and sunflowers were placed at the base of a tree near the shooting scene.
“With great sadness, we are devastated at the loss of another young life," Chicago Public Schools said in a statement.
Editor's note: Early reports said Medina was 8 years old, but a medical examiner's office later confirmed she was 9.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
