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Family mourns 9-year-old boy's death after Green Line incident
The family of 9-year-old Elijah Flores, who died last month after a fight at a West Loop train station, is pleading for justice as they prepare for his funeral.
HILLSIDE, Ill. - The family of 9-year-old Elijah Flores, who died last month after falling down the stairs during a nearby altercation at a West Loop train station, is pleading for justice as they prepare for his funeral.
During a press conference on Wednesday, advocates urged community members to come forward with information.
What we know:
Lisette Guillen, with Case Files: Chicago, said Flores' mother is asking the public for help.
"Elijah needs justice. The family needs justice. Elijah was a little boy who loved to karaoke. He loved Michael Jackson songs and loved singing along to them," Guillen said. "Elijah also loved lady bugs."
Flores' mother, Esmeralda Lopez, was initially planning to speak on Wednesday, but was overcome by sadness and grief.
"Esmeralda is broken, her family is broken, and she wanted her to be here today, unfortunately, she just didn't have the strength," Guillen shared. "She barely had the strength to get up."
Instead, Guillen read a statement from Lopez, who described her son as "a kind, funny, hyper, beautiful boy" who "didn’t deserve this."
Andrew Holmes, a community activist, and Guillen accompanied Lopez to Queen of Heaven Cemetery in Hillside, where she made arrangements for her son.
"She was prepared to walk him to school, not prepared to walk to a cemetery to make funeral arrangements and then pick a plot," Holmes said.
Now, Flores is being remembered as a hero. According to Guillen, he will donate four organs — his eyes, heart, liver and lungs — to help other families.
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Family looking for answers after 9-year-old boy killed in Chicago West Loop attack
The family of Elijah Flores, the 9-year-old boy who died after an argument escalated into a fight last month in the West Loop, is seeking justice.
The backstory:
On Sunday, Aug. 10, police said Flores was with a 22-year-old relative at the Clinton Green Line station in the 500 block of West Lake Street around 11:35 a.m. when a fight broke out.
According to police, the boy's relative got into a verbal altercation with two men, prompting one of those men to hit the 22-year-old in the back with an unknown object. That caused him to fall down the stairs, along with Flores, who hit his head on the ground, according to police.
Flores was taken to Lurie Children’s Hospital and suffered severe brain damage. He died on Saturday, Aug. 16.
The Cook County Medical Examiner has since ruled his manner of death a homicide.
What's next:
A GoFundMe page created to support his family and cover funeral expenses has raised more than $20,000.