8-year-old boy shot and killed while playing on front porch, Illinois cops say

An 18-year-old was believed to be the intended target Monday in a shooting that resulted in the death of his 8-year-old brother, Illinois cops say.

Police in Markham say Demetrius Stevenson was playing on the front porch of his Chicago-suburb home when at least one man got out of a car and fired shots toward the residence, WLS reported.

The boy was shot in the head and pronounced dead at a local hospital, according to WBBM. City officials are checking surveillance footage to determine who was responsible for the shooting, the TV station reported.

The shooting was called “very tragic, but an isolated and targeted incident,” Markham city administrator Derrick Champion told WMAQ.

The brother of the victim, who police say was targeted in the gang-related shooting, was taken into custody on an outstanding warrant, city officials said, according to WMAQ.

Demetrius was a third-grade student who loved school, WGN reported.

“They shot and killed an 8-year-old that could not defend himself and probably did not even see it coming,” community activist Andrew Holmes told WLS.

This story was originally published September 28, 2021 at 6:55 AM with the headline "8-year-old boy shot and killed while playing on front porch, Illinois cops say."