Janari Andre Ricks was 9 when he was shot and killed on July 31, 2020, in Chicago’s Cabrini Green neighborhood. He was playing outside with friends around 6:45 p.m. in the 900 block of North Cambridge Avenue when a bullet struck him in the back. Janari was taken to Lurie Children’s Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

A rising fourth grader at Salazar Elementary, Janari made honor roll and loved sports — basketball and football — and collecting model cars with his father. Police say the gunfire was aimed at a group near the townhomes where he was playing; the shooting killed Janari and left his family and neighborhood devastated.

Reports state police identified and arrested a 39-year-old man, charged with first-degree murder, with witnesses and surveillance footage cited as corroborating evidence. If anyone knew Janari or has information about the July 31, 2020 shooting, please share what you know.