The family of the 7-year-old girl shot while trick-or-treating Halloween night on Chicago's West Side opened up about the horrific incident Saturday, hours after the teen charged with the shooting appeared before a judge.
The 15-year-old suspect is a member of a gang, and he reportedly intended to shoot a rival gang member, prosecutors said in court.
Instead, he allegedly shot 7-year-old Giselle Zamago who was trick-or-treating with family while wearing a Minnie Mouse costume. [[564550751, C]]
The teen suspect was also accused of shooting a 31-year-old man during the same incident. He was charged with eight felony counts, including two for attempted murder.
According to prosecutors, the 15-year-old dropped the gun, and urinated on his hands to get the smell off. The teen then hid the gun in a nearby alley, prosecutors said.
Giselle Zamago's aunt, Sanjuana Zamago, said she hopes the teen suspect doesn't get released from jail.
"...These people should not be loose on the streets," she said. "So many kids were excited to ask for candy. It's not fair, but thank God, people have prayed for my girl. She's good now, and we hope that nothing like this happens again."
Chicago police Supt. Eddie Johnson said officers identified the suspect using "very clear and very helpful" video obtained in the investigation. Police said on Friday a person of interest was wearing a "Jason" mask when the shooting happened, but hadn't confirmed if the teen arrested was wearing a mask.
"Those involved don't deserve to be in our city," Johnson said at a news conference Friday morning. "So I'm disgusted, but committed to doing everything we can to find the cowards that would engage in a gun battle in the early evening hours while children were trick-or-treating."
Johnson said there were multiple individuals involved in the shooting, but as of Saturday afternoon, only one had been arrested. At Saturday's hearing, a judge ordered that the teen suspect remain in custody until his second hearing on Nov. 4.
Authorities said 7-year-old Zamago still has to undergo at least two surgeries, and her family believes she'll be in the hospital for up to two weeks.
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"We're happy now, because we got through a nightmare, that I don't know how...," said Sanjuana Zamago.