A 9-year-old girl was the unintended target of a shooting in Woodbridge, Virginia, on Tuesday and was flown to a trauma center with life-threatening injuries, authorities said.
The child was still in critical condition as of Wednesday morning, Prince William County police said in an update.
Officers were called to the 15300 block of Gatehouse Terrace at about 6:45 p.m. for reports of a shooting. On scene they found a young girl suffering from a gunshot wound, Prince William County police said.
Authorities believe the victim was outside, playing with friends, when a group of four young men fired at someone in a car and struck the child instead.
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Police are speaking with the driver, who they said was the intended target of the shooting. They said they were looking for multiple people seen by witnesses fleeing the block after the gunfire, and examining any doorbell cameras for photos and video. The group of young people sought may be juveniles, police said.
Gunshots also struck an occupied vehicle and the front door of a home.
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Chief of Police Pete Newsham called the actions of the shooter unacceptable.
“Some fools get out there, decide they want to settle a dispute with a gun. Next thing you know, you’ve got your child in a hospital, in surgery with a bullet wound. Just ridiculous,” he said.
No arrests have been made and officers have not recovered a gun. Anyone with information relevant to the investigation is asked to contact police.
Police initially said the child was 8 and said in an update that she is 9.
Stay with NBC Washington for more details on this developing story.
