A little girl was struck by a stray bullet while doing her homework inside her home.
The tragic incident took place in East Chicago, Indiana, where 8-year-old Timya Andrews was sitting on the living room floor and doing her homework when she was struck by a stray bullet.
According to the authorities, the shooting that took place outside the family home resulted in one of the bullets piercing the home’s wall and striking the little girl in the head.
Following the gunfire, Timya was rushed to St. Catherine’s Hospital where the staff managed to stabilize her condition. From there, the child was airlifted to Comer Children’s Hospital where she passed away just days after the shooting.
As ABC 7 reported, a relative of the little girl was also shot last week. As East Chicago Deputy Police Chief Jose Rivera explained, however, the authorities are not sure whether the two shootings are related or not.
“A little over a week ago we did have a shooting that had something to do with a person in this house, but again we’re not sure it’s related,” Rivera confirmed.
While the Andrews family reportedly moved to the neighborhood to escape the city violence and live in peace, Rivera suggested that recent incidents in the area could be an indication of the presence of gang violence.
“Any time a child is the victim of senseless gun violence it affects and saddens us all. Thoughts, prayers and caring emojis on social media will not bring the shooter to justice. We need witnesses to come forward and cooperate with our detectives,” the deputy police chief said in a statement.
“We can’t allow these cowardly thugs to randomly open fire in our community with impunity. Our department will use all the resources we have available to help us catch the shooter and any person involved.”
Following the tragic death of the 8-year-old, the authorities have offered a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the suspect.
While the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives initially offered a $5,000 reward, the offer was matched by East Chicago Mayor Anthony Copeland.
Replaced!