15-year old troubled Cincinnati girl shot and killed in drive-by

Africa Hope, age 15

A 15-year old girl in Cincinnati, named Africa Hope, was shot to death while on the sidewalk, shot once in the neck in a drive-by shooting.  She had recently dropped out of school and had brushes with the law, but attempts by her 74-year old grandmother, with whom she lived, to get help for Africa had failed.

Africa hadn't been breaking any laws at the time of the shooting other than being out past curfew.

From an article and news video:

Someone shot and killed Africa Hope at 1710 Vine Street around 11:10 p.m. Monday. Officials originally reported the incident as a drive-by shooting. 

Dist. 1 Cincinnati police officers and Cincinnati Fire Department personnel responded to the scene and found Hope injured. Emergency crews transported her to University Hospital where she later died. 

The family of the 15-year-old expressed their frustration over her shooting death and the circumstances leading up to it. 

The teen attended Taft High School and then a charter school before dropping out in March. Hope lived with her grandmother, Corline Stone in the West End. 

“She had a lot of problems,” Corline said, who added that the problems included attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. “She didn’t take her medication." 

Hope's family feels the juvenile system that was supposed to help failed. 

"[Hope] had some issues that need to be addressed. Medication, running away from home, not going to school. She asked for help but the juvenile system did not give her any,” said T.J. Stutson, Hope's uncle.

UPDATE (6/24/12):  A man, Harold Croft, age 36, has been arrested for the shooting.  He had been released only 2 months ago after serving 10 years in prison for manslaughter.  Africa was not the intended target.

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