Boy, 9, Fatally Shot In Matteson, Police Investigating

MATTESON, IL — Matteson Police and the South Suburban Major Crimes Task Force are continuing to investigate a shooting that killed a 9-year-old boy and injured a 20-year-old man who was also involved in the same fight, police said.

O'Mauri Jones Brown died from a gunshot wound to the abdomen in the fight, which took place last week in the 800 block of Campus Avenue. An investigation showed that the third-grader and a 20-year-old man who was injured in a fight involving a large group of teenagers, police said.

“This incident is tragic and heartbreaking for O'Mauri's family, our community, and everyone involved,” Matteson Police Chief Michael Jones said. “Our condolences go to the family and we’ll put every effort into finding peace for everyone involved.”

Police have not provided any further information into the fight, which started just after 6 p.m. on May 25, police said. Jones did not respond to a message seeking comment on the investigation on Tuesday.

The South Suburban Major Crimes Task Force is also investigating the incident that left the 9-year-old boy dead.

“We are heartbroken. We are all in mourning here in the village of Matteson,” Village President Sheila Chalmers-Currin said in a statement released last week. “I give my full condolences to this family. We will do everything in our power to come to a resolution for this family.”

The boy was a third grader at Arcadia Elementary School in Olympia Fields, where school counselors were providing grief support to anyone who needed it.

Police ask anyone with information to call the criminal investigation division at (708) 503-3130.