Matteson shooting leaves 9-year-old boy dead and woman injured – NBC Chicago

A shooting in the southern suburb of Matteson Thursday night left a nine-year-old boy dead, officials say.

The boy was identified by the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office as Omuiri Jones Brown.

Officials say officers responded to the 800 block of Campus Avenue just before 6:10 p.m. and discovered a 9-year-old boy with a gunshot wound to his abdomen.

Officials said life-saving measures were taken on Omuiri, although he succumbed to his injuries on arrival at a local hospital.

Omuiri’s grandmother, Denise Jones, witnessed the tragic shooting.

“He died right there. He was right here on the porch when the boy shot the porch,” Jones told NBC Chicago.

Police said a preliminary investigation determined the shooting took place during an altercation between two parties at the residence. A 20-year-old woman was also injured in the same shooting and was transported to St. James Hospital with a non-life-threatening injury.

Jones told NBC Chicago that she didn’t know what caused the altercation and that she saw five girls and a boy involved in an altercation that then appeared to be over.

“Then they stopped fighting. They started walking towards the car, we went back to the porch as we were ready to go back into the house, and the young men with them just opened fire,” said Jones at NBC Chicago.

Jones later said she received her FOID card last September and was waiting to receive a concealed carry permit.

She also told NBC Chicago that Omuiri was living with her in Matteson to avoid violence in Chicago.

“His mom moved out, he stayed here because he didn’t want to go to Chicago because he was afraid of getting shot, all the violence,” Jones said.

The investigation into the shooting is in its “early stages” and no further information is currently available.

Anyone with information is encouraged to contact Matteson Police at 708-503-3130.