African American male Jaiden A. Hines, age 8, died on October 24, 2022, after a gun discharged inside a family home on the 3600 block of South Rhodes Avenue in Chicago's Douglas neighborhood on the South Side.
Late in the afternoon, around 5:48–5:50 p.m., a single shot struck the child in the head.
He was rushed to the University of Chicago's Comer Children's Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
The Cook County Medical Examiner identified him, and records note he lived on the same block as the shooting.
Police determined the shot was fired by a 17y ear-old relative who was handling a firearm believed to be unloaded when it went off.
In the immediate aftermath, the older teen fled but later surrendered to authorities; after interviews, he was released, and police said no criminal charges would be filed, describing the shooting as accidental.
Family and community members described Jaiden A. Hines, age 8, as a joyful presence in a close-knit household, a child whose absence left relatives grieving in the Park Boulevard/Bronzeville area.
A local crisis responder who met with the family echoed that it was a tight family reeling from the sudden loss. Public databases and incident logs list the date and location but reflect the same conclusion reached by police: the death followed an accidental discharge by a teenage family member, with no arrests or charges announced.
