Two Suspects Identified In Shooting Of Girl In Darby
by Elizabeth Hur
DARBY, Pa (CBS) – Police in Delaware County have identified two suspects in the shooting of a 12-year-old girl on Monday afternoon.
According to police, the victim was struck in the hip by a stray bullet shortly before 3:00 p.m. as she and her grandfather were about to get into their minivan which was parked along the 900 block of Forrester Avenue in Darby Borough.
Family identified the victim as Tahtiana Diggs.
Diggs' grandfather, Leslie Baker explained, "It was two pops. The next thing I heard was a holler, 'Why do I hurt? What happened to me?' So I looked up and noticed the guy was chambering another round, so I opened up the door and pushed her to the ground."
Police say it all began when two neighbors got into a fist fight over drugs. The one who came out on the losing end of that fight went home and returned with a gun and began firing.
"Senseless," said Darby Police Chief Robert Smythe. "There's no reason for this child to be hurt. Here's some moron that wants to get a gun and come out on a crowded street where they're having a barbecue and everybody is having a good time and fire two rounds with all of these children and everyone else around. You've got to be a real idiot to do something like that."
The victim was taken to Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.
"My plea to them is to turn yourselves in," said Baker, "She's fine. She's not hurt. There's no sense in getting caught up worse than the situation that you're already in."
Monday evening, police identified their suspects as 22-year-old Joshua Singleton and 35-year-old Lynnette Crawford. Police believe they drove away in Crawford's car, a 1998 green Mercedes with a Pennsylvania tag HZD-3483.
Police say there were reportedly as many as 75 people out on the block at the time of the shooting, yet as of Monday night, not one person claims to have seen anything.
Chief Smythe said, "Someone saw something. More importantly, someone needs to feel sorry for this young child and come forward."
Police said Tahtiana required an "emergency surgery" Monday evening and remained hospitalized in stable condition.
