A suspect in the fatal shooting of 7-year-old Jaslyn Adams was shot multiple times by a Chicago police officer during a confrontation on the Eisenhower Expressway Thursday afternoon, officials confirm.
Adams was fatally shot Sunday afternoon while sitting in a vehicle with her father at a McDonald's drive-thru, according to police. Authorities say the girl was shot multiple times, and her father sustained a serious gunshot wound during the shooting.
According to Chicago Police Supt. David Brown, officers were conducting surveillance on a suspect in that case in the western suburbs Thursday afternoon when he attempted to flee the scene.
That suspect then crashed his vehicle on the eastbound Eisenhower Expressway between Manheim Road and 25th Avenue, according to police. He attempted to hijack a family’s vehicle, which was stopped in traffic, but he was first confronted by police officers.
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It is unclear what led to the shooting, but at least one Chicago police officer opened fire, striking the suspect multiple times, according to Brown.
NBC 5 has not been able to independently confirm details of the confrontation and shooting provided by Chicago police.
The suspect was transported to an area hospital, where he is in unknown condition at this time.
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The Civilian Office of Police Accountability is investigating, and both Chicago police and the Illinois State Police remained on the scene on the eastbound Eisenhower for nearly five hours before the roadway reopened at 9 p.m.
The department is seeking other individuals involved in the Adams shooting, but it is unclear whether any additional suspects were taken into custody at this time.
Adams was sitting in a car with her father at a McDonald’s drive-thru Sunday when she was shot and killed. Her father suffered a serious gunshot wound, but he was at a vigil held in his daughter’s honor Wednesday, as he called for the girl’s killers to be brought to justice.
“I see more articles about me being a bad parent than about the people, the guys, who killed my baby,” Jontae Adams said. “This is not my friends I am losing. This is my daughter. All these cameras out here, I want to use them to get justice for my baby.”
Lawanda McMullen, Jaslyn’s grandmother, says the person who pulled the trigger that day did so knowing that her granddaughter was in the car.
“It was a cowardly act. I know they saw her in the car,” she said.
She echoed the sentiments of many in the crowd at the vigil, saying that all it takes is one person to come forward to tell police what they know, and to help get justice for the little girl who is being remembered for her love of TikTok videos, the color pink, and eating at McDonald’s with her family.
“When kids are involved, someone needs to step up and talk,” she said. “It’s time to stop the ‘no snitching’ code. Just tell someone.”
