Lowell Woman Hit By Bullets While Lying In Bed

LOWELL (CBS) -- A 38-year-old woman was critically injured after being hit by gunfire while lying in bed Sunday morning in Lowell, officials said.

Authorities believe there was a targeted shooting at about 6 a.m. outside 134 Lakeview Ave, but say that the victim wasn't the intended target. The woman was taken to Boston Medical Center, where she was in critical condition.

"Evidence is still being gathered in this incident," said Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan in a statement. "But it appears already that this was a targeted shooting. Someone or several people riddled the home with bullets aiming to hurt or intimidate a specific individual in the household, and the victim was just an innocent party."

Neighbor Joey Rodriguez said he heard knocking at the door before the gunshots.

"Anybody could have been hurt," Rodriguez said. "You have the elderly that live right here across the street."

Another neighbor named Danny was startled by the gunshots.

"I grabbed my kids and my wife and I went on top of them, but then when everything was over, we went down to the basement," Danny told WBZ-TV's Julie Loncich.

Outside the home, Ryan said officers found 19 shell casings apparently fired from two weapons. Others in the home, including a 1-year-old child, were not injured.

"Officers with the Lowell Police Department along with the Middlesex District Attorney's Office are actively working this investigation and at this point we do not believe this was a random event," Lowell Police Supt. William Taylor said.

Witnesses on the scene told WBZ-TV's Julie Loncich that the victim is a mother.

Ryan said there were several similar incidents in the Greater Lowell area in 2014, and legislation has been filed to make firing at dwellings a felony.

In:
• Lowell
• Shooting