In the span of less than 10 days, two Cleveland children were shot in incidents described as “retaliation shootings” by the victims families.
An 11-year-old girl was shot while sleeping in her home on Seymour Avenue early Thursday morning.
The victim was shot in the leg and family members told newsnet5.com that they believed the shooting was in retaliation for another shooting earlier in the week.
“I could hear her kids screaming mommy, mommy,” neighbor Rosemary Figueroa told newsnet5.com.
Last week a 13 year old boy was shot in the arm while walking near the Glenville Grocery Store.
Family members also told newsnet5.com that they believe the boy was shot out of revenge.
“So how many people have got to get hurt before something is done?” said witness and neighbor Randy Willis.
Cleveland police said they are still investigating and did not release a motive for either shooting.
While it is unclear whether the children were specifically targeted, King Kennedy Boys and Girls Club of Cleveland Director Richard Starr told newsnet5.com that it has become apparent that the shooters in many cases don’t care who gets caught in the crossfire.
“I don’t want to say they mean to hit kids but they don’t care because they want some street credibility to say that they did something,” Starr explained.
He said the “code of ethics” on the street has evolved from one-on-one fights to murders and revenge killings where the shooters don't care if they miss their intended targets.
“And you hitting kids, that doesn’t make sense, that’s not retaliation,” he said. “That’s just stupidity.”
After Thursday morning’s shooting, witnesses said that an older white Cadillac with about 4 to 5 unknown males drive down Seymore multiple times prior to the shooting.
