MAPLE HEIGHTS, Ohio — A 7-year-old boy was hospitalized as he was shot in the lower back while riding in a car early Monday morning, Maple Heights police said.
According to Maple Heights police, the boy was riding in the back of a vehicle near East 141 and Granger Avenue just after midnight when the occupant or occupants of a second vehicle began to open fire. Residents reported hearing gunshots near the gas station where the incident appears to have started. Residents also called police to report gunshots in the area of Libby Road and Thomas Street. According to body camera video, officers recovered multiple shell casings near Libby and Thomas.
The boy was rushed to Cleveland Clinic South Pointe Hospital in Warrensville Heights by private auto. He was transferred to University Hospital's Rainbow Baby and Children’s in Cleveland and police said he is in stable condition.
A police department spokesperson said detectives are still trying to determine what sparked the shooting and whether it may have been related to road rage or something else.
Tim Dawson, who lives a half-block away from the corner of East 141 and Granger, said he was awoken by several gunshots. Dawson said he’s furious that a child was injured in the incident.
“For a child to get shot — an innocent child and for no reason — it doesn’t make sense,” Dawson said. “These [shootings] go on and on a little too much and it needs to stop. For a kid to get shot, it don’t make no sense in this neighborhood. That simple.”
