The shooting occurred Friday around 8:30 p.m. Two groups of people were arguing when one man pulled out a gun and shots rang out. The shooting occurred in Chicago’s Austin neighbourhood on the city’s West Side. Zarriel was hit in the lower back, the bullet just missing his spine according to the local CBS affiliate.
The shooting occurred near Zarriel’s home. According to police, Zarriel was not a part of either group and was not the intended target of the gunfire. He was merely on his way home after playing basketball with this friends. The 13-year-old was operated on during the weekend at Mount Sinai Hospital and is listed in critical condition.
Zarriel is in Grade 7 at Catalyst Circle Rock Charter School. In February 2015, a one-minute video was released titled “Black is Human.” On the video, several young black male students, from Grades 3 to 7, speak against the violence plaguing their neighbourhood. On the video, Zarriel says, “I don’t want to live around my community where I got to keep on hearing and hearing people keep on getting shot, people keep on getting killed.”
The video was produced by Burrell Communications and according to the company, the video won an Advocacy Media Award. On its Facebook page, Burrell posted “Our hearts go out to Zarriel and his family. We wish him a speedy recovery.”
Zarriel’s school principal, Elizabeth Jamison-Dunn, said, “We all hope he stays strong.” She also said, “He’s got this positive energy that’s contagious. He can make your day.” The principal also added she looks forward to his smile and a handshake when he arrives at school each day with his younger brother.
Zarriel is the 71st shooting victim this year in the Austin neighbourhood and no arrests have yet been made.
Zarriel appears in the video just after the 30 second mark.
