12-Year-Old Girl, Erica Gibson, Shot And Killed In Hazel Crest
HAZEL CREST, Ill. (CBS) -- A 12-year-old Chicago girl shot and killed at a home in south Suburban Hazel Crest.
As CBS 2's Steven Graves reported, there were more questions than answers in this case Sunday night.
After multiple calls, Hazel Crest police late Sunday were not saying anything about Erica Gibson's death.
The Cook County Medical Examiner's office reported Erica was shot in the head in a home on Arlington Lane in Hazel Crest Saturday night.
She died a little while later, and her death was ruled a homicide.
Hazel Crest police issued a news release Monday, saying police were called at 10:05 p.m. Saturday after Erica suffered a gunshot wound, and she was taken to Advocate South Suburban Hospital in Hazel Crest where she was pronounced dead. Other than saying there was no danger to the public, police did not provide further details.
The girl's family and neighbors are filling in the gaps from there.
In a neighborhood where those who live here say is quiet and good, a tragedy has them shaken.
"Kids can ride their bikes and take walks," said one neighbor who did not want to be identified. "I was absolutely astonished."
The neighbor said she saw Hazel Crest police crowd Arlington Lane early Sunday morning, right in front of one specific home.
"I thought it must have been something serious that happened, because there were so many it was unmarked cars as well - sitting out with the marked cars," the neighbor said.
Erica lives about 17 miles from the house in Chicago's Auburn Gresham neighborhood.
Her family there did not want to go on camera, but said Erica was visiting a friend when shot. They were told by authorities the shooting was most likely accidental.
This was the second shooting of its kind in days in the Chicago area.
This past Thursday, Chicago Police said a 12-year-old boy's friend accidentally shot him in a high-rise apartment building on Rhodes Avenue near 35th Street in Bronzeville.
The boy was in critical condition, and no one was immediately charged.
Questions remain for family in Erica's case. How did it happen? Whose gun was it? Who was home at the time?
"I have noticed a lot of in-and-out activity," the neighbor said.
But there was no activity Sunday evening when CBS 2 knocked on the home. Three vehicles were sitting outside.
Family said Erica was going to turn 13 next month.
