An 11-year-old boy was killed and five others wounded in a drive-by shooting Friday in Cincinnati, authorities said.
Police responded to the intersection in the West End neighborhood around 9:30 p.m. and found six shooting victims, including an 11-year-old boy who was pronounced dead at the scene, Cincinnati Police Chief Teresa Theetge said at a Sunday news conference.
The 11-year-old boy who was killed in the shooting was identified by his family in a verified GoFundMe campaign as Dominic Davis.
Four children between the ages of 12 and 15, as well as a 53-year-old woman, were transported to local hospitals for treatment. Police said one wounded victim was in stable condition.
Chief Theetge said the gunman fired 22 rounds from a dark sedan.
“When will it stop?” Dominic’s father, Issac Davis, said at the press conference. “Will this ever stop? How many people have to bury their children, their babies, their loved ones?”
“Everyone who knows something should come forward,” he added. “We beg.”
Mayor Aftab Pureval called the shooting a “sickening and unacceptable tragedy” and told a news conference that it happened in a vibrant neighborhood next to a local park and a historic elementary school. He noted that residents did not feel safe leaving their homes and instead “shouted messages of love and support to each other through open windows.”
“22 bullets were fired, 22 bullets in an instant, into a crowd of children,” Pureval said. “There is no time to respond. There is no time to react. This is the reality that these children had to live through. And the reality, the trauma that they will have to deal with for the rest of their lives.”
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“Our entire city is grieving,” added Cincinnati City Manager Sheryl Long. She mentioned her own loss of a family member to gun violence and said she would work “tirelessly” with police and community partners to “bring the perpetrators to justice.”
Chief Theetge also urged the public to identify any suspects.
“To the person or persons responsible for this violent act: surrender,” she said. “Call a loved one, have them report you. If you don’t, we will find you and bring you to justice.”
Chief Theetge noted that it is too early in the investigation to say whether the shooting was a random act of violence or a targeted incident.
Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education