9-year-old boy injured in fatal highway shooting had been shot before, sheriff says
A 15-year-old was killed and her 9-year-old cousin was injured in a shooting on an Alabama interstate, authorities said.
It was the second time the 9-year-old boy was shot in the past year, Mobile County Sheriff Paul Burch said. The child was also injured during a drive-by shooting at a home in Mobile, Burch told WPMI.
“Think of the environment this 9-year-old is living in, that this is the second time he’s been shot in a year,” Burch said. “It’s hard to wrap your head around that.”
A 4-year-old sitting in the back of the car wasn’t injured, and neither were two women in the front seats, WALA reported.
An 18-year-old sitting in the middle row of the car alongside his brother and cousin was the intended target of the Jan. 15 shooting on Interstate 165, the Mobile County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release.
Burch said the 18-year-old returned fire at the other car, according to WPMI.
He has been charged with reckless endangerment and tampering with physical evidence. Detectives said he refused to cooperate after several hours of questioning about the shooting, and they arrested him.
The Mobile County Sheriff’s Office did not say whether other suspects have been charged, but authorities suspect the incident is tied to gang activity.
“When you shoot in a manner where it endangers innocent people, we’re coming after you,” Burch told WALA.
Gun violence in the US
Thousands of people die every year from firearm injuries in the U.S. each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“Firearm injuries are a serious public health problem,” officials said. “In 2020, there were 45,222 firearm-related deaths in the United States – that’s about 124 people dying from a firearm-related injury each day.”
Firearm-related injuries were one of the top leading causes of death for people ages 1 to 44 in 2020, the CDC reported.
“More than half of firearm-related deaths were suicides and more than 4 out of every 10 were firearm homicides,” the CDC says.
The impact of gun violence, however, goes beyond the death toll, experts said.
“The effects of firearm violence extend beyond victims and their families,” according to the CDC. “Shooting incidents, including those in homes, schools, houses of worship, workplaces, shopping areas, on the street or at community events can affect the sense of safety and security of entire communities and impact everyday decisions.”
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