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9-year-old girl fatally shot by neighbor in front of her father after buying ice cream and riding her scooter, legal document says

2023-08-09 11:18
A 9-year-old girl was fatally shot in front of her Chicago home by her neighbor, who allegedly fired the gun at her before her father ran toward the shooter and tackled him to the ground, according to a legal document CNN obtained Tuesday.
9-year-old girl fatally shot by neighbor in front of her father after buying ice cream and riding her scooter, legal document says

A 9-year-old girl was fatally shot in front of her Chicago home by her neighbor, who allegedly fired the gun at her before her father ran toward the shooter and tackled him to the ground, according to a legal document CNN obtained Tuesday.

Michael Goodman, 43, is charged with first degree murder in the killing of the child, who rode her scooter to buy ice cream from a nearby ice cream truck before the shooting Saturday evening, according to the document.

Before the shooting, the child's father was talking to friends who were in a vehicle in front of his residence while his daughter, identified as "V," was riding her scooter, according to the document, known as a bond proffer.

The father heard a gunshot in the vicinity and told his daughter to take her scooter back to the apartment.

"As V approached the front door of her apartment building, D (shooter) emerged from his apartment building across the street holding a firearm," the document states.

The father and other witnesses saw the neighbor -- identified as Michael Goodman -- across the street as he approached the child, and the father shouted at the neighbor "what he was doing," according to the document.

"While V's father ran to his daughter, he observed D raise the firearm, point it at the V, and shoot the V in the head. V's father tackled D into the vestibule and as they both fell to the ground the gun discharged, striking D in the eye," the document said.

The child was taken to a hospital where she was pronounced dead. The suspect was arrested and taken to a hospital.

The shooting comes as the US continues to grapple with widespread gun violence, which is the leading cause of death in children and teenagers in the country.

Police swabbed the suspect's hands while he was in the hospital, and they tested positive for gunshot residue, the document said. A 9mm Canik firearm was recovered outside of the apartment.

Goodman is currently being held with no bail after authorities' request.

"The defendant is responsible for the death of a person and the defendant was armed with a firearm and that he personally discharged that firearm and it proximately caused death to another individual," the document added.