'Pandemonium': Weekend shooting in North Carolina leaves 6 injured, including toddler

Cady Stanton, USA TODAY
·2 min read
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Police were searching for answers Monday after a weekend shooting in North Carolina left multiple people injured, including a toddler who was shot several times.

Police in Oxford responded to a report of shots fired around 9:30 p.m. Saturday and found six people hurt, according to a police statement on Facebook. The victims, who ranged in age from 18 months to 64, were transported to local hospitals.

Two victims remained hospitalized Monday afternoon including the toddler, who is in critical condition, Oxford City Commissioner Bryan Cohn told USA TODAY.

Officers applied tourniquets and transported victims to the hospital in patrol cars, Cohn who was on the scene after the shooting, said. The city commissioner, who lives three blocks from where the shooting occurred, heard multiple gunshots and drove toward the noise, where he saw a group of people fleeing.

"I got within about a half a block of the scene, which was utter pandemonium," Cohn said. "I spent all day yesterday speaking with folks about what happened, trying to just comfort the community and everyone was in absolute, absolute shock."

The 18-month-old was shot six times and was taken into surgery, according to Cohn. A 10-year-old child was also shot in the leg, Cohn said.

Oxford is about 35 miles north of Raleigh and has a population of 8,700, according to U.S. Census data. Oxford residents have been shaken by multiple shootings in recent weeks that Cohn called "uncharacteristic" of the town, including three shootings over 10 days in September, local outlet WRAL reported.

"I think folks are ready for this to end," Cohn said. "They're ready for justice to be served in these situations. It's getting out of hand."

Oxford police and the State Bureau of Investigations are investigating the shooting and have not released information on possible suspects or motive. Oxford police declined to comment to USA TODAY on the investigation.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Shooting north of Raleigh, NC, leaves 6 injured including toddler