3-year-old fatally shot at Florida birthday party identified

TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — A 3-year-old boy was shot and killed in a drive-by shooting over the weekend, leaving police searching for the person responsible, according to NBC affiliate WTVJ.

The shooting happened at Riverland Park in Fort Lauderdale around 4:30 p.m. on Sunday.

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“I need an ambulance at Riverland Park!” one woman tells a dispatcher during the 911 call, released on Monday.

“A baby just got shot, we’re at Riverland Park,” another woman said in a separate call.

Fort Lauderdale Police told WTVJ officers and fire rescue crews found the boy, 3-year-old Rylo Yancy, injured on scene and rushed him to Broward Health Medical Center as a trauma alert where he was later pronounced deceased.

Rylo just turned three in May.

WTVJ reports family took to social media to share the news of their loss.

On Monday, the park still had scattered decorations from the party the shooting interrupted.

“We all got to get together and pray for this violence to stop, killing innocent little kids at parties and just sitting out in their cars, it’s just terrible,” resident Millie Charles told WTVJ. “My heart has been broken to see this and to hear about a child, an innocent child, who knows nothing about nothing, he’s out there enjoying the birthday party and then all the sudden this happens, and I feel so bad for the parents.”

“It’s very sad…my heart goes out to the mother because I lost a child, so I know how it feels, it’s very sad,” Joan Gooding said.

WTVJ reports detectives have identified and located one of the vehicles involved in the shooting.

No arrests have been made and the investigation is ongoing, according to police.

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