Police: 9-Year-Old Girl Killed In Anaheim Shooting
ANAHEIM (CBSLA.com) — A 9-year-old girl died Wednesday after being shot while playing with friends in front of her home in Anaheim, officials said.
According to the Anaheim Police and Fire Departments, officials were sent around 7:15 p.m. to the 2300 block of West Greenacre Avenue for reports of a shooting.
The girl was taken to a hospital; however, she died about 8 p.m. of injuries sustained in the shooting.
Officers reported the girl was shot at least once.
KCAL9's Stacey Butler spoke with witnesses on scene, who said they heard multiple shots fired in the area while attending an event held at a park across the street from the crime scene.
Marque Oliver told Butler that she attempted to perform CPR on the young girl before paramedics arrived.
"She had got pierced in her right side and her abdomen had been swollen to capacity," Oliver said. "I didn't have a very good pulse, but she had a pulse. She was breathing."
Neighbors reported that three or four gunshots went off before they ran out to assist the young girl lying on the sidewalk.
Her father desperately tried to save his daughter's life before paramedics took her away, witnesses explained.
Authorities closed a portion of the street while they investigate the circumstances of the shooting, Sky9's Stu Mundel said.
At this time, officers have expanded their search for slugs and casings as the suspect or suspects are at large.
"What we're trying to piece together at this point is the motive for this shooting," said Lt. Bob Dunn of the Anaheim Police Department. "We're not certain why the shooting took place. Whether or not this young girl, and the other group of young girls she was playing with, were caught in the crossfire of another type of incident."
Officers explained the area is claimed by a street gang, but they have not responded to this area for crime recently.