Every year, nearly 3000 children and teens die from gunfire, and nearly 14,000 are injured.

Sunday, March 17, 2013

11-year old Massachusetts girl shot and injured while waiting to buy shoes

An 11-year old girl was in line outside a shoe store in Springfield, Massachusetts, waiting to buy a pair of the highly sought-after new Air Jordan shoes.

A dispute broke out between two male teens or young adults in line with her when one of the boys tried to cut into line.  One of them pulled out a gun and fired it, hitting the girl unintentionally, in her leg.

She is expected to recover.  The shooter escaped.  It isn't known if the intended victim was hit.  It is thought there were gang ties associated between the shooter and intended victim.

From an article:

The mayor said an "orderly line" had formed outside a local shoe store – Expressions at the Walmart plaza on Boston Road – before the shop had opened for business Saturday morning. But a pair of individuals with possible gang ties "tried to cut the line," sparking a violent episode in which the girl, an innocent bystander, was shot and wounded, he said. 
"They tried to jump the line," said Sarno, who received a police briefing on the incident. "It just boggles my mind, the uncivilized nature of these unsavory individuals who could have taken the life of an 11-year-old girl." .... 
Authorities said the 11-year-old girl was standing in a line of people waiting to buy new Air Jordan sneakers at Expressions, 1067 Boston Road, a shoe store located at the Walmart plaza. She was outside MadRag, a clothing shop two stores away from Expressions, when two males in their late teens or early twenties got into verbal dispute that quickly turned physical. 
One male pulled out a handgun and reportedly pistol-whipped the other before opening fire on him. It's unknown if the man who was shot at was struck, but the girl was hit in the leg, police said. "We believe she was an innocent victim," detective Sgt. Kenneth J. Murray said. 
Witnesses described the shooter as a black male wearing a camouflage jacket. Murray said police found the jacket nearby and used it to attempt to track the suspect with K-9 units. State police conducted an aerial search with a helicopter, but authorities were unable to locate the gunman. "We were unsuccessful ... he had either been picked up by a car or previously passed through that area," Murray said. 
Saturday marked the national release of the Air Jordan 13 Retro "He Got Game" model, which retails for about $170, as well as the Air Jordan 13 GS, a grey-and-pink sneaker for girls that sells for around $115. 


Bullets don't know when to stop.

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