A woman in North Carolina faces murder charges following the tragic death of a 7-year-old boy who was struck by a stray bullet that entered his home from a passing vehicle while he was enjoying video games and cheese fries.
Sierra Chambers, 19, will now face murder charges in connection with the death of Zion Gibbs, with her initial charges of being an accessory after the fact being upgraded. Following an investigation, local ABC affiliate WTVD reported that the charges have been elevated.
The Fayetteville Police Department reported that Zion was killed on June 7 in the 800 block of Danish Drive.
Gunfire pierced the walls of his residence, resulting in his death. He passed away in a hospital a few days later.
A resident observed a car moving at a slow pace, followed by the sound of gunfire and the resulting scene.
“I was waiting a few minutes, heard the cops pull up, taped everything off,” the neighbor told local NBC affiliate WRAL. “The mother was outside. She was hysterical. I heard her say her baby got shot in the face. She was saying the people drove by and shot up in the house.”
A nearby resident informed WRAL that she heard over 15 gunshots.
Zion’s aunt, Treka Beasley, shared on GoFundMe that gunfire erupted in their home shortly after midnight while her nephew, an elementary school student, was relaxing on the living room couch, engrossed in his video game and celebrating the beginning of his summer break.
A bullet hit him beneath his left eye, going through to the back of his head. He passed away following several days on life support.
On October 31, police revealed that Chambers had been arrested as an accessory after the fact.
It remains uncertain if investigators have pinpointed the individual responsible for the shooting. A police spokesperson has yet to reply to a request for comment from Law&Crime regarding additional suspects as of Tuesday.
“I’m very hopeful that this is going to put us closer to getting who took my baby from me,” Zion’s mother, Myra Gibbs, told WRAL after Chambers’ arrest.
The loss of her son devastated her.
“It’s beyond words how shattered my heart is, and there are a lot of whys. I wouldn’t wish this on nobody,” she told WTVD in September. “This is a 7-year-old little boy, an innocent victim just in the comfort of his own home playing a video game and eating cheese fries.”
“He was one of those kids: Mommy, are you OK? At night, every single night, he’d say, ‘I love you guys’ two or three times in one night. He was just a loving kid,” she added.
“As difficult as it was for my sister to let go and release him back to God, she knew that although he was no longer here in the flesh, he will always be with her in spirit as her guardian angel watching over her just as he always did,” the aunt wrote. “We now hold this special day, June 10th, 2024, dear to our heart as Zion transitioned to the spirit realm with God.”
“If you ever met Zion or knew him, you knew that Zion truly embodied the meaning of his name,” she added. “Just like the biblical reference to Zion as a place of peace, strength, and spiritual significance, Zion exuded these qualities in everything he did whether it was through his nightly checks on his mom filled with hugs and kisses or his random moments of singing an inspirational song when someone needed it.”