12-Year-Old Shot To Death While Visiting Family In Chicago
CHICAGO (CBS) -- The family of a 12-year-old girl from Michigan is struggling to cope with her death after was shot in the West Garfield Park neighborhood.
Relatives say She'nyah O'Flynn was visiting family when she was killed.
CBS 2's Mai Martinez has the story.
She'nyah's family describes her as a smart, fun-loving girl who loved soccer.
She also loved her Chicago family and often spent her summers in the city visiting her stepdad. That's what she was doing this week when she was killed.
Now he and the rest of her family are heartbroken.
"She'nyah. That was like my daughter," said Courtney O'Flynn who loves her niece so much, she had She'nyah's name tattooed on her wrist.
"She was definitely funny. She loved hip-hop. She loved to dance. She played soccer. She had straight As," said O'Flynn.
O'Flynn drove to Chicago from Battle Creek, Michigan in the middle of the night after hearing her niece was shot.
It happened around 11:20 Thursday night in the 4200 block of Wilcox.
O'Flynn said She'nyah was in Chicago visiting her stepfather and that she was returning home after celebrating a cousin's graduation when shots rang out.
"They were outside, she was getting out of the car and she got shot," said O'Flynn.
The bullet hit She'nyah in the neck.
"She was holding her baby cousin. She was holding a baby," said O'Flynn.
The baby wasn't hurt, but a 36-year-old relative was also shot in the leg.
He and She'nyah were rushed to Stroger Hospital. He survived but She'nyah didn't.
"I just can't believe they took my niece like that," said O'Flynn. "She's with family and it's the summertime. Who would just think that somebody just going to come and shoot this girl?"
Chicago police do not believe either victim was the intended target.
The adult relative was released from the hospital.
Crisis responder Andrew Holmes is offering a $1,000 for information leading to an arrest and conviction in this case.
If you have any information about this shooting, you're asked to call Chicago police.
People can also call the You Tell Us hotline at 1-800-883-5587.
