Crime
10-Year-Old Baltimore Girl Dies After Accidental Shooting, Grandmother Faces Charges
Following the shooting, Mitchell was taken into custody and now faces multiple firearms-related charges.
BALTIMORE, MD – A 10-year-old girl has died after accidentally shooting herself in the head with a stolen firearm she found at her grandmother’s home, Baltimore police confirmed Wednesday.
The victim, E’vaa Sewell, was critically injured in the incident, which occurred on Saturday, January 27, in the 3500 block of Ingleside Avenue in Northwest Baltimore’s Pimlico neighborhood.
According to investigators, Sewell gained access to the unsecured firearm while her grandmother, 51-year-old Alethea Mitchell, was at work.
She accidentally discharged the weapon, causing fatal injuries.
Sewell was transported to Johns Hopkins Hospital in critical condition, but despite medical efforts, she succumbed to her injuries on Tuesday.
Following the shooting, Mitchell was taken into custody and now faces multiple firearms-related charges.
Court records reveal that the handgun was reported stolen in a 2017 burglary in North Carolina. Mitchell, who has prior drug and burglary convictions, is legally prohibited from possessing a firearm.
During her initial court appearance on Monday, a judge denied her bail, citing evidence that she poses a danger to the community.
Charging documents indicate that upon discovering her injured granddaughter, Mitchell’s first action was to hide the firearm rather than immediately seek help.
According to investigators, Mitchell claimed the gun belonged to her ex-boyfriend. However, due to her criminal record, she was not legally allowed to have a firearm in her possession.
Baltimore Police Commissioner Richard Worley confirmed that officers were called to the scene at approximately 3:16 p.m. on Saturday.
“All indications are the young lady got ahold of a weapon that was unsecured and shot herself,” Worley stated.
Neighbors expressed grief over the tragedy, with one resident describing the situation as “heartbreaking.” A spokesperson for Baltimore City Schools confirmed that E’vaa was a student at Carter Elementary/Middle School.
The investigation remains ongoing.
Authorities have identified the man shot and killed Friday afternoon in a parking lot outside a Little Caesars restaurant in Chicago’s Little Village neighborhood.
The victim has been named as Stevens Jeffrey, 29, according to police and the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office.
The shooting occurred in the 2600 block of West Cermak Road near Rockwell Street at approximately 1:10 p.m., according to the Chicago Police Department (CPD).
Preliminary reports indicate that Jeffrey was sitting in his vehicle when he was approached by an unknown vehicle.
An armed individual exited that vehicle and opened fire, striking Jeffrey multiple times in the face and body.
Emergency responders arrived on the scene, where Jeffrey was pronounced dead. He was discovered inside his vehicle with his two young children, ages 4 and 6, who were unharmed.
Both children were transported to Stroger Hospital for precautionary evaluation.
The shooting took place in the parking lot of a Little Caesars restaurant, where investigators recovered multiple shell casings and placed numerous evidence markers on the ground.
As of Friday evening, no suspects are in custody, and detectives from the CPD Area Four Homicide Unit are leading the investigation. Police have not released information on a possible motive.
Authorities are urging anyone with information about this homicide to contact Chicago Police or submit an anonymous tip at CPDTip.com.