Family Of 12-Year-Old Erica Gibson Says Girl Who Accidentally Shot Her Dead In Hazel Crest Had Earlier Posed With Long Gun In Social Media Video
CHICAGO (CBS) -- While police said there would be no charges against the teenage girl who accidentally shot and killed 12-year-old Erica Gibson in Hazel Crest this past weekend, the case is not closed.
Meanwhile, as CBS 2's Jermont Terry reported Wednesday night, Erica's family insisted there is something investigators must see before they look any further. It is alarming video about the 14-year-old girl suspected of pulling the trigger.
Erica's parents won't get to plan her 13th birthday next month.
"We got to bury her," said Erica's aunt, Marshawna Pratt. "That's the hardest part – we got to bury her."
And now, the family is outraged at that new video – which they said shows that 14-year-old girl with a gun in her hands.
"This little girl, she didn't just all of sudden pick up a gun," said Erica's aunt, Tywauna McDonald. "She's been doing it for months."
Erica's family is raising red flags about the girl who pulled the trigger and accidentally shot and killed Erica.
"Pulling the trigger - shooting somebody in the head - is not an accident," Pratt said.
They say the video shows the same 14-year-old who shot Erica, but this time, the teen poses with a long gun. The video was posted on TikTok months earlier.
"Like she's posing with a teddy bear in her hand - like it ain't nothing - with her finger sticking out," McDonald said. "That shows a different personality than what they're trying to portray."
Hazel Crest police said the teen will not face charges.
"You're not going to press charges against her, OK, so who are you pressing charges against?" Pratt said.
Gibson's aunts demanded that the Cook County State's Attorney see the TikTok video to understand fully that guns were accessible more than months in that south suburban house where their niece was visiting.
"If we would have seen that video in January, maybe we wouldn't be burying my niece," McDonald said.
The Cook County State's Attorney's office told CBS 2 it has not closed the investigation into Erica's death.
As for the adults in that house, McDonald said: "They're not saying anything to the police - who owns the guns, they're not saying anything. But I feel the police can make them talk."
CBS 2's Terry tried reaching out to the teen's family with no luck. We should point out it is not clear whether Erica was shot with the same gun seen in the TikTok video or if there is a second weapon.
Either way, Erica's family said it is clear that guns were not stored properly in that house – and the owner must be held responsible.