Matheson police say a 9-year-old boy was killed during a fight between teenagers

A 9-year-old boy was fatally shot Thursday outside his Matheson home after a fight between teenagers, police said Friday.

Police received a call at 6:06 p.m. Thursday from a woman who said her grandson had been shot outside their home in the 800 block of Campus Avenue, Police Chief Michael Jones said. When officers arrived, they administered medical care, packing the wound with coagulation gauze and applying a compact seal to the chest, Jones said.

The boy, Amuiri Jones Brown, was taken to a hospital, Jones said, where he died of a gunshot wound to the abdomen.

“We are heartbroken. We are all in mourning here in the Village of Matheson,” said Village President Sheila Chalmers-Karin. “My deepest condolences to this family. We will do everything in our power to resolve this family.”

Brown was in third grade at Arcadia Elementary School in Olympia Fields, Matteson Elementary District 162 Superintendent Blondin Y. Davis said in a statement. On Friday, social workers, counselors and psychologists were at the school talking to students, teachers, staff and parents in need.

The team will be available again Tuesday when school resumes for as long as needed, Davis said.

“We will keep this wonderful child, his family, classmates, friends and teachers in our hearts, thoughts and prayers,” she said.

As Brown was hospitalized, Jones said police were told the 20-year-old went to St. James Hospital in Olympia Fields with a non-life-threatening gunshot wound sustained during the fight in Matheson.

A preliminary investigation indicated the 20-year-old and Brown were shot during the same fight between two groups of teenagers outside a home on Campus Avenue, Jones said.

“This incident is tragic and heartbreaking for the Amuiri family, our community and everyone involved,” Jones said. “Our condolences to the family and we will do our best to find peace for all involved.”

Jones said Matheson police are working with the South Suburban Major Crimes Task Force and the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office to investigate.

Police are asking anyone with information to call the Criminal Investigation Division at 708-503-3130.