A 10-year-old girl was shot while riding in a vehicle with her family on Mother's Day in the Northeast, DC police say. She is in critical condition.
District police said the shooting occurred in the 3700 block of Hayes Street NE around 9 p.m. as a family was driving home Sunday.
Family members realized the girl had been struck in the upper body moments after hearing gunshots in the area.
“When they heard the sounds of gunshots and as they continued to travel a little further down the road, obviously the 10-year-old girl screamed. And they were able to look back and see that her daughter was shot,” she said.
Police said she was taken to a fire station in the 1500 block of C Street SE around 9:20 p.m. with apparent gunshot wounds as her parents tried to care for her.
A department spokesperson said DC Fire and EMS took the girl to the hospital. Wright said family members were at an area hospital with her daughter, who remained in critical condition early Monday morning.
“It was Mother's Day, and they were doing what we were all doing today: celebrating the outstanding work and efforts of moms,” Wright said. “And that's what this whole day should be about. We should be talking about Mother's Day, not talking about this tragic event of the shooting of a 10-year-old girl."
Officers are asking anyone with information to call the department. A definitive description of the shooting suspect was not available early Monday.
