CHICAGO, Ill. — Authorities have identified 16-year-old Harmony Mitchell as the victim of a tragic shooting that occurred earlier this week in Chicago’s Washington Park neighborhood. The Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed her identity following her death on Saturday evening, October 4, 2025, after she spent two days on life support.
According to the Chicago Police Department (CPD), officers were called to a residential building near 56th Street and Michigan Avenue around 7:09 a.m. on Thursday, October 2, after multiple reports of gunfire. When they arrived, officers discovered the teen inside a bedroom suffering from a gunshot wound to the chin. Emergency responders rushed Harmony to Comer Children’s Hospital, where she was placed on a ventilator in critical condition. Despite medical efforts, she passed away two days later.
Initial reports from the scene raised the possibility of a self-inflicted gunshot, but detectives have since said they do not believe Harmony shot herself. Investigators recovered a firearm in an alley behind the residence and located a shell casing and blood trail inside the apartment, evidence that has prompted further scrutiny into what may have happened before the shooting.
Police are currently treating the case as a possible accidental shooting, though they have not ruled out other scenarios. No one is currently in custody, and detectives are interviewing witnesses and reviewing forensic evidence as part of their ongoing investigation. Officials said the sequence of events leading to the shooting remains unclear, and they are working to determine who was present in the home at the time of the gunfire.
The death of the young girl has left the Washington Park community heartbroken. Neighbors expressed disbelief that such violence could touch a teen’s life so abruptly. “She was just a kid with her whole future ahead of her,” one local resident said. “It’s devastating for everyone who knew her.” Community members have begun placing candles and flowers near the building as a small memorial to honor Harmony’s memory.
Police are urging anyone with information to come forward. Anonymous tips can be submitted online at CPDTip.com or by contacting the Chicago Police Department’s 2nd District at (312) 747-8366. Detectives continue to investigate the circumstances of this tragic and puzzling shooting, which has once again underscored the devastating impact of gun violence on Chicago’s youth.