Teenage girl shot dead while practising TikTok dance routine in Chicago home

Amaria Jones, 13, was dancing for her mother when a stray bullet flew through their living room window and hit her in the neck
Kit Heren26 June 2020

A teenage girl has been killed while showing her mother a dance routine at their Chicago home.

Amaria Jones, 13, was dancing for her mother when a stray bullet flew through their living room window and hit her in the neck.

Lawanda Jones said that her last memory of her daughter was the sight of blood gushing from her wounded neck.

Ms Jones said that before 9pm on Saturday, Amaria was showing her a dance routine she learned on TikTok when the sound of gunfire rang out outside their home in west Chicago.

Amaria Jones (family photo)

She told CBS that the bullet smashed the family's television and hit Amaria on her neck while she danced.

Ms Jones added: "I turned around and I was looking for her and she was on the ground reaching out like this, holding her neck. I was like, 'What?! What?! What?!'"

Amaria died about half an hour later after being rushed to hospital. Two boys were also wounded in the incident and received hospital treatment.

Lawanda, whose nephew was also reportedly killed last year, called on the person who killed Amaria to come forward.

Amaria was one of 100 people shot over the weekend of June 19-21 in Chicago. Fourteen died, of whom four were children - including a three-year-old.

Mekhi James was hit by a stray bullet while sitting in the back seat of his stepfather's car, two hours before Amaria was killed.

Chicago Police Superintendent David Brown told reporters: “Bullets don’t just tear apart the things they strike. Bullets also tear apart families. Bullets destroy neighbourhoods and they ruin any sense of safety in a community."

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