Chicago police say they have captured a suspect in the fatal shooting of 7-year-old Jaslyn Adams, and the girl’s family says their prayers have been answered upon hearing the news Thursday.
According to Chicago police, officers were conducting surveillance on a suspect in the shooting Thursday in the western suburbs. That’s when the suspect attempted to flee police, getting into a vehicle and driving away from the scene.
Officers tailed the suspect onto the eastbound Eisenhower Expressway, where he crashed his vehicle off the shoulder. He then allegedly tried to carjack another vehicle, and that’s when he was confronted by a Chicago police officer.
During that confrontation, the man was shot in the arm and was taken to an area hospital.
Feeling out of the loop? We'll catch you up on the Chicago news you need to know. Sign up for the weekly Chicago Catch-Up newsletter here.
Now, Adams’ family says they are grateful that the man believed to be involved in the fatal shooting Sunday is in custody.
“I’m just so overwhelmed,” Jaslyn’s grandmother Lawanda McMullen says. “I’ve been trying to call detectives (all day). It’s a bittersweet feeling. I don’t know how to feel right now.”
Adams was killed Sunday while she was sitting in a car at a Chicago McDonald’s restaurant. Her father was also shot in the incident, suffering a serious injury.
Local
The shooting prompted an outpouring of grief and support, with several vigils held honoring the girl’s memory and calling for her killer to be brought to justice.
Her father Jontae Adams was at a vigil Wednesday.
“’Daddy. Her last words was ‘daddy,’” Jontae said. “I want my daughter’s killers locked up.”
The girl’s family says their world is a little less bright without her, but there’s some comfort knowing that there has been an arrest in the case.
“I hope and pray to God that this is him,” McMullen said. “We can live in peace, just a little bit, and have a little piece in our hearts and in our minds for ‘Pinky.’”
Charges have not been filed in the case, and police are continuing to investigate the shooting.
The Civilian Office of Police Accountability says it is investigating the shooting, as it does in all cases when an officer discharges a weapon. The officer will be placed on desk duty for 30 days pending the outcome of the investigation.
