WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (WGHP) — A child has been hospitalized after being shot overnight.
The little girl was hit in the torso and the hand and was taken to the hospital where she received surgery.
Police say that just before 6 a.m., they received word she was out of surgery and starting the recovery process. Her injuries are critical, but she is stable.
Police were notified by a Shot Spotter alert just after midnight and responded to E. 24th St., finding the victim at the scene and upgrading the call to a shooting.
Officers say that the little girl was inside the home when someone outside shot into it, hitting her. A 12-year-old was also injured but did not have life-threatening injuries and was released from the hospital.
They remained on scene well into Wednesday morning investigating, finding several bullets ranging from in the street to the back side of the home. Police believe this was not a random act of violence.
Anyone with information should call Winston-Salem Crimestoppers or the police department.
This is one of several shootings dispatched through a ShotSpotter alert. The most recent one happened at 12:15 a.m. on Wednesday in the 1900 block of northeast 24th Street. Hours before that about one mile away, there was a shooting on Ivy Avenue where a 30-year-old was shot in the hand.
One block from that location, on North Glenn Avenue, a 20-year-old was shot on Sunday. He is expected to be OK.
Winston-Salem police say they do believe the shootings are connected. Neighbors say it’s common to hear gunshots, but what sets this shooting apart is a 7-year-old girl could lose her life.
“My kids play with them. That is the crazy part,” said Joseph Patterson, who lives on northeast 24th Street.
A few doors down from the home, a father is praying for the victim’s family and his children’s future.
“Just got to pray … and continue to stay out the way,” Patterson said.
People living on E. 24th St. say they hear gunshots often.
“Shootings happen every day over here,” said Thomas Davis, who lives in the area.
“This is the norm,” Patterson said.
It’s a pattern of gun violence that Patterson Davis say has no end in sight.
“It starts with the proper education … at home with the parents,” Patterson said.
They believe kids in their neighborhood are getting left behind.
“They don’t value who lives in this community,” Patterson said.
