Jakari Pearson was sleeping in his room at around 1:15 a.m. Wednesday when a bullet flew through one of his bedroom windows, hitting him in the chest.
The 8-year-old was rushed to a local hospital in his home city of Detroit, where he was pronounced dead, CBS Detroit reports. The news station noted that police believe the boy may have been the unintended victim of a domestic violence dispute.
According to the report, an unidentified assailant approached the back of the townhouse where Jakari and his mother lived and started shooting into the building. His mother also suffered a gunshot wound, but details of her current condition are unclear.
Police Sgt. Michael Woody told the news station that investigators were closing in on the suspected gunman, although a description of the suspect has not been given.
“We have a pretty good idea of who it is that we are looking for,” Woody said. “Unfortunately, we can’t talk too much about that just yet, as we are in the very early stages of this investigation. We hope the community continues to talk to us and feeds us information so we can track this individual down and get him into custody very quickly.”
According to CBS Detroit, neighbors heard about five gunshots as the incident unfolded, and at least three bullet holes are visible at the building. It is believed a domestic dispute between Jakari’s mother and a man—not the boy’s father—resulted in the tragic shooting.
Read more at CBS Detroit.