Two Chicago teens were charged Sunday in the weekend shooting death of 6-year-old Aliyah Shell in the city's Little Village neighborhood.
Juan Barraza, 18, and a 16-year-old male were charged, both as adults, Sunday with murder and aggravated discharge of a firearm in Aliyah's slaying. The Chicago Tribune reports that police believe the teens as well as family members of Aliyah's are affiliated with rival street gangs.
The 16-year-old suspect already had a warrant out for his arrest in a previous incident, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.
The shooting occurred around 3:40 p.m. Saturday as Aliyah was playing on her front porch with her parents in the 3100 block of South Springfield Avenue. A pickup truck pulled up to the house and a man inside the vehicle began shooting at the house, striking the girl multiple times in the abdomen. She was pronounced dead after being rushed to Mount Sinai Hospital.
A handgun was retrieved from the crime scene.
Aliyah's uncle Roy Aguilar told the Sun-Times that his niece was "a happy child. When everybody was sad, she was always happy, with a smile on her face no matter what."
The two teens are expected to appear in bond court Monday.
Aliyah's slaying was one of at least 10 shooting deaths in Chicago over the weekend. Additionally, at least 39 were seriously wounded by gun violence.