Charges announced in murder of 7-year-old Jai’Mani Amir Rivera
*The Chicago Police Department’s full Friday evening press conference announcing charges and details in the murder investigation of 7-year-old Jai’Mani Amir Rivera can be found at the bottom of this article.
CHICAGO — The Chicago Police Department has announced charges in the shooting death of 7-year-old Jai’Mani Amir Rivera.
According to CPD Superintendent Larry Snelling, a 16-year-old male has been charged as an adult with one felony count of first degree murder, and one felony count of personally discharging a firearm that proximately caused the death of the victim.
The 16 year-old male was also charged on two counts of issuance of a warrant. More on that in a bit.
A spokesperson for the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office said the 16-year-old’s case will automatically transfer, meaning there will be no trial to determine if he will be tried as an adult. The defendant will be tried as an adult.
Snelling said the offender was arrested by members of the Chicago Police Department and the Great Lakes Regional Fugitive Task Force Thursday in the 1800 block of West Monroe Street, less than a mile from where Rivera was killed.
“It’s absolutely maddening, heartbreaking, that innocent children are dying in our city,” Snelling said. “Parents should not have to bury their children.”
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According to CPD Chief of Detectives Antoinette Ursitti, in the immediate hours after the shooting, Area Three detectives collected video evidence of the incident and were able to piece together the offender’s movements, before and after the shooting occurred.
“The 16-year-old offender is seen approaching on foot, before he stops and opens fire, striking Jai’Mani,” Ursitti said of the video evidence. “The video shows the offender fleeing on foot. Members of the Area Three technology center continued to canvass for video near the scene, and with the support of the community, were able to document his movements before and after the shooting.”
After collecting video evidence of the 16-year-old’s movements, detectives issued a bulletin CPD-wide to identify him. Shortly thereafter, officers in the 12th District recognized the offender, and provided detectives with his identity, which was further confirmed by a tip police received from their anonymous tip line.
At that point, detectives learned the 16-year-old had an outstanding warrant for failing to appear in court on an unrelated arrest, hence the two charges for issuance of warrant.
Authorities then located and arrested him at his residence in the city’s United Center neighborhood.
Police said a stolen weapon, which was not used in the fatal shooting of Rivera, was also recovered at the scene of the arrest.
Ursitti went on to say police recovered 13 bullet casings at the scene of the shooting, but officers have yet to recover the firearm used by the 16-year-old offender. Based on ballistic analysis though, she said the weapon used was an assault rifle.
CPD’s chief of detectives was also repeatedly asked by local media if police could provide any reasoning for the shooting, or if there was a motive behind Rivera’s death.
Ursitti gave the following response:
“I understand, because it’s the same frustration we feel up here. We cannot give you a motive for this offender’s actions,” Ursitti said. “I wish I could tell you more, but this is the frustration that we feel up here — Is that a 7-year-old child lost his life and we can’t give you any justification for this offender’s actions.
“We explained that he has a criminal history. We have him in custody, initially as well for an arrest warrant for another offense, and I understand everyone here is trying to understand what would lead anybody to shoot aimlessly, not knowing who you’re going to hit, or what’s going to happen. I wish I could tell you more, but I can’t.”
Rivera was shot and killed Tuesday by a stray bullet as he walked out of the Oakley Square Apartments where his family lives. According to family, he was walking next door to visit his grandmother when he was struck in the chest and later died.
Ursitti confirmed Jai’Mani was not the intended target of the shooting Friday.
“I like to commend the police for immediately apprehending the person that they think done it,” said Ald. Walter Burnett (27th Ward) at a march to end gun violence Friday. “And hopefully justice, justice is done.”
The 16-year-old male next court appearance is set to be a juvenile detention hearing Saturday.
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