A 14-year-old Gary boy who was shot in the head outside his own block has died, and the neighbor accused of pulling the trigger now faces a murder charge. Sir Malik Smith was shot on Oct. 26 in the 900 block of West 11th Avenue and died five days later, on Oct. 31, at Comer Children's Hospital, according to the Cook County medical examiner's office.
Smith lived in the same block where the shooting happened, per the medical examiner's office, as reported by ABC7 Chicago. Gary police responded to a report of a teen shot in the head on West 11th Avenue, and Smith was first taken to Methodist Northlake Hospital before being transferred to the University of Chicago for further treatment, according to the station's report. A person of interest was taken into custody, Gary officials said, and the investigation into the circumstances of the shooting remained ongoing as of the station's report.
Court records reviewed by the Chicago Tribune identify the man charged in the shooting as 48-year-old Jason C. Kennebrew, who lived in the same 900 block of West 11th Avenue. Kennebrew was charged on Oct. 29 with attempted murder, aggravated battery, and four counts of criminal recklessness, the newspaper reported. Charging documents referred to the child only as “juvenile 1” and stated that one minor was shot in the head.
A Dispute Over Missing Game Consoles
According to the Tribune's account of an affidavit in the case, Kennebrew told investigators he “lost his temper” after discovering his PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 5 were missing. Doctors told police at the time that the minor was “unlikely” to survive, the newspaper reported, citing the same affidavit. At the time of the Tribune's report, Kennebrew was in custody on a $13,000 cash bond, with no court date yet set.
After Smith died, prosecutors upgraded the charges against Kennebrew to include murder, according to a report from Country Herald. That outlet also reported that authorities had not publicly disclosed the circumstances that led to the shooting, including whether Kennebrew and Smith knew each other.
Investigators Still Seeking Information
Anyone with information on the case is asked to contact Sgt. Michael Mitchell of the Lake County prosecutor's homicide task force at (219) 755-3855, according to the station's report.
The shooting adds to a difficult stretch of violence in Gary even as the city has touted broader progress on crime. A February release from the Gary Police Department and the City of Gary reported that homicides fell from 40 cases in 2024 to 28 in 2025, a 30% reduction, and were down a combined 46% since 2023, with non-fatal shootings down 31% over the same period. That citywide data offers context but does not speak to the specifics of Smith's case.
Gary has seen other recent violence as well. In a separate incident, two adult men were shot on a Sunday evening, according to The Times of Northwest Indiana, which reported that a 34-year-old man was killed and the second victim remained under medical care. A person of interest in that shooting was also taken into custody, the paper reported.
