Neighbor Shot 9-Year-Old Girl In The Head As Her Dad Rushed To Intervene: Authorities

CHICAGO — It was a typical Chicago summer night.

Serabi Medina, age 9, was riding her scooter outside her family’s Portage Park apartment building while her father chatted with friends. One of the friends gave her money for the ice cream truck, and she purchased two treats — one for her and one for her father.

Then everything changed.

Court documents render in harrowing detail the moments leading up to Medina’s death at the hands of a neighbor. Michael Goodman, 43, of the 3500 block of North Long Avenue, is charged with first-degree murder after shooting Medina in the head, according to legal records.

The incident occurred around 9:20 p.m. Saturday, authorities said. A few minutes after Medina bought the ice cream, a shot rang out in the neighborhood and the girl’s father told her to go inside, according to court documents. As she neared the apartment building, Goodman — a stranger to Medina’s father — emerged from his home across the street, holding a gun, legal records said.

Goodman approached the child as her father shouted out to ask the man what he was doing, according to authorities, who said Goodman ignored the question, following Medina toward the vestibule of her apartment building.

As Medina’s father ran to his daughter, he saw Goodman raise the gun, point it at the girl and shoot her, court records said. Her father tackled Goodman and as the two men fell, the gun discharged, striking Goodman in the eye, according to legal documents.

Medina was taken to Stroger Hospital in critical condition, where she was pronounced dead, police said. Goodman was brought to Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center, according to authorities.

Police recovered a 9mm Canik firearm from the vestibule and found a 9mm bullet lodged in the wall of Goodman’s apartment, according to court records, which said Goodman had a valid firearm owner’s identification card.

Goodman was held without bail and is set to next appear in court Aug. 23.

Neighbors told the Chicago Sun-Times that Goodman had a history of complaining about children being loud and confronted Medina’s father before the shooting.

Goodman’s attorney, Rocio Armendariz, told Block Club Chicago that Goodman had no criminal record, graduated from Glenbrook North High School and worked in computer programming.

Medina’s family has created a GoFundMe to pay for her funeral and allow her father to relocate.

“She was a beautiful little girl who adored her dog and her father more than anything,” the fundraiser said. “She was only 9 years old, she had her whole life ahead of her.”

This is not the first time tragedy has struck Medina’s family. The Sun-Times reported that her mother was shot and killed in 2018.