Serabi Medina GoFundMe raises more than $24,000 as 9-year-old girl is fatally shot by a neighbor

On Saturday, August 5, 9-year-old girl Serabi Medina was fatally gunned down by a neighbor in front of her home in Portage Park, Chicago. As per CBS, the suspect behind the fatal shooting is Michael Goodman, a 43-year-old with no prior history with the 9-year-old or her family.

The motive behind the shooting currently remains unknown.

Trigger warning: This article concerns gun violence. Readers' discretion is advised.

On Tuesday, August 8, the family of Serabi Medina launched a GoFundMe page to help with the child's funeral expenses. The page noted that leftover money will be used to find a new house for the child's father, who is too traumatized to continue living in the property where his daughter was murdered.

As of August 9, the fundraiser, which has a goal of $50,000, has raised over $24,500.

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Serabi Medina's father was closeby when she was shot

As reported by Block Club Chicago, the fatal shooting of Serabi Medina appeared to be completely random. Some time before 9:20 pm, the 9-year-old was riding around on a scooter near her home on the 3500 block of North Long Avenue. At the time, her 52-year-old father was speaking to friends nearby.

At one point, one of Serabi Medina's father's friends gave her money to buy an icecream. She purchased one for herself, before giving one to her father. Witnesses claimed that shortly after, they heard gunfire. The 52-year-old Medina then quickly told his daughter to return home.

As the 9-year-old walked back home, witnesses saw Michael Goodman approaching her. Concerned, the child's father questioned Goodman, asking him what he was doing. Goodman continued to walk up to the child, before abruptly shooting her in the head without warning.

After the shot was fired, the 52-year-old father tackled Goodman, before the pair struggled briefly on the ground. During the physical altercation, Goodman accidentally discharged another bullet, striking him in the eye. The suspect was eventually detained by local authorities.

In the aftermath of the struggle, first responders transported the 9-year-old to a nearby hospital. Tragically, the child was pronounced dead soon after. While no motive behind the shooting has been confirmed, certain neighbors said that Goodman frequently complained about loud children in the area.

Megan Kelley, a neighbor in the area, speculated upon what may have led to the fatal shooting.

In an interview with Chicago Sun, Kelley said:

“Just little kids playing, he would come out just yelling about the noise. It just didn’t make sense, none of it made sense. Everybody in the community would just tell him they are just kids having fun playing, just let them be.”

Block Club Chicago reported that Michael Goodman had no prior criminal history. He is said to have worked as a computer programmer for approximately two decades.