A 3-year-old boy was killed and his 4-year-old sister injured when gunmen fired 150 bullets into the family’s home while they were sleeping. Eleven people were in the house when multiple cars pulled up and gunman got out, firing a barrage of bullets at the home just before midnight on Tuesday. The little boy was asleep when he was shot in the head. The toddler was rushed to hospital but pronounced dead.
Police Chief Jennings described the incident as “senseless.”
“I want to speak directly to the suspects right now and just ask how can you wake up this morning knowing that your actions last night took the life of a 3-year-old who will never get the opportunity to grow up and have fun like you’ve had that opportunity?
“How can you not wake up today and realize that you need to hold yourself accountable?”
Police are linking the boy’s, Asiah Figueroa, death to the fatal shooting of a teenager on Sunday and several recent gunshot attacks on homes in the area which all appear to be related to disputes among students at two high schools in the area: Hopewell, North Mecklenburg and Chambers High School in North Carolina.
“Parents of kids at these high schools, what we need from you is we need you to be as outraged as we are about this,” police Capt. Joel McNelly said at a news conference on Wednesday. “This is where your kids go to school, these are the people that your kids are around, and we need your help.
“You should know whether or not your children were at home the last few nights. If your children were not at home the last few nights, overnight, we need to know that.”
McNelly also urged parents to pore through their children’s rooms, their phones and their social media pages for clues.
“We need that to solve the murder of 3-year-old Asiah,” he added.
Susie, the victim’s great-grandmother, said she heard gunshots hitting her front door and then her granddaughter began screaming that Asiah had been shot and that she was trying to call 911.
“When I went into his room, my grandson was in there, she was holding him, and he said, ‘Grandma, I think he’s gone.’ I didn’t want to believe it.”
Asiah’s 4-year-old sister was grazed by a bullet but will recover, police said.
“For the rest of her life, she has to realize that she was in the house when her 3-year-old brother was senselessly murdered and taken away from this earth,” Chief Jennings added.