Girl, 6, shot while riding in car with parents in west Columbus
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – A child was shot while riding in a car with her parents Sunday night in west Columbus.
According to Columbus police, a six-year-old girl was struck in the lower body by gunfire while riding in a car on the 800 block of Wedgewood Drive. The shooting occurred at around 10:40 p.m., when a mother, father and daughter were driving down the road.
Police said they do not yet know if the shooting was targeted at the car specifically or if the child was randomly hit. Investigators are looking through Wedgewood Apartment cameras for any leads on suspects.
One dead, another hospitalized after shooting in Franklinton
The girl was taken to a hospital by the family and is listed in stable condition.
NBC4 spoke with Zerqa Abid, a family friend of this family and the founder of MY Project USA, a non-profit working to uplift children in the Hilltop.
She said she spent the morning with the family and that the girl does need surgery but is doing okay.
“She’s turning six in two weeks, so she’s not even six right now, but she is about that age and she’s talking,” Abid said. “Yeah, she is sitting on her recliner and watching TV and eating. And I’m just very impressed and praying for her mental well-being also.”
Abid said the mother is an advocate in the Wedgewood community and is like a daughter to her.
“She is a brave little girl, a daughter of a brave mom. So she is holding it up. I brought some gifts for her and she was eating, so she’s okay. But they are all traumatized to go back to Wedgewood,” Abid said.
The shooting occurred shortly after one person was shot dead and another was injured in a pursuit, also in west Columbus. Though police do not believe the incidents are related, Sgt. Joe Albert said they are no less concerning.
“As you guys have seen tonight, we’ve had a very violent night in the city,” Albert said. “It’s heartbreaking when a 6-year-old is just in a car with her mom and dad and gets shot. We are extremely thankful that this is not worse than it already is.”
The Sunday night shootings followed an early morning shooting in Franklinton, where one person was shot dead and another was hospitalized.
CPD is requesting that anyone with information regarding this incident to contact Columbus Police Felony Assault Detective Pruitt at (614) 645-4141 or Central Ohio Crime Stoppers at (614) 461-TIPS (8477).
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