Man charged in shooting that killed 7-year-old Chicago girl

CHICAGO (AP) — A 24-year-old man has been charged in an August shooting that killed a 7-year-old Chicago girl and seriously wounded her younger sister.

Police charged Aireon Luster on Wednesday with first-degree murder in the death of 7-year-old Serenity Broughton and he was charged with attempted murder after injuring her 6-year-old sister, Audrey Broughton, in the same shooting. He was due in bond court Thursday after being arrested Wednesday morning in the basement of his grandmother’s home in suburban Riverside. It wasn't immediately clear if he had an attorney.

The Broughton sisters were shot on Sunday, August 15, in the 6200 block of West Grand Avenue in the Belmont-Cragin neighborhood.

Authorities allege he was one of two gunman who got of a car in an alley on the city's Northwest Side and began shooting as Serenity's mother was putting the sisters into a parked car. Serenity was struck in the chest and later died at a hospital.^[1] Her 6-year-old sister Aubrey was shot in the armpit and chest but recovered.

Police believe that that a relative of the girls was the intended target.
Chief of Detectives Brendan Deenihan said Luster and the other gunman allegedly got back in the car and fled. Authorities were still looking for other suspects.

"We're still asking for the public's help," Deenihan said. "We're asking for more information because we believe that, you know, the public knows these other two individuals who are probably associated with Luster and are a part of it."

The girls' grandmother, Regina Broughton, told the Chicago Sun-Times she was "elated" to hear someone had been charged.^[2]

"I feel like my family are one step closer to getting justice," she said. "I feel like the justice system is working for us."

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