18-month-old among six shot when gunfire erupts at celebration of life, NC cops say
An 18-month-old was shot multiple times during a celebration of life event in North Carolina, news outlets reported.
Five other people were also shot when gunfire erupted at the memorial service on Saturday, Oct. 22, the Oxford Police Department told WNCN.
At least 100 people had gathered to remember a loved one who recently died in a car crash, news outlets reported. But police said the event took a turn when someone started firing a gun.
“I don’t think there’s words that can possibly describe the level of trauma that this brings to a community,” Bryan Cohn, an Oxford city commissioner who said he saw people fleeing the shooting scene, told ABC11, The News & Observer’s media partner. “To see those things happen on TV is one thing but to be in the moment and see it unfolding is something that I could never even begin to describe.”
Police were called to the shooting at about 9:30 p.m. While at the scene near Piedmont Avenue, officers reported finding six people who had been shot.
“The victims range in age from 18 months old to 64 years old,” the department wrote in a Facebook post. “All were transported to a local hospital and four were subsequently transported by Life Flight to hospitals outside the local area.”
Of those injured in the shooting, police said two were children. The 18-month-old was in intensive care after being shot six times, WRAL reported.
Also remaining in the hospital after the shooting was the 64-year-old, according to the TV station.
“The mindset of someone who would go into a large crowd and just randomly fire … I consider that person dangerous,” Patricia Ford, the Oxford Police chief, told WNCN.
Police ask anyone with information about the case to call them at 919-693-3161 or Crime Stoppers at 919-693-3100.
“We’re on edge and we’re gonna stay that way, you know, until you know, stuff is correct,” Oxford resident Brandon Moss told ABC11. “And we hope that they get to the bottom of (this) especially for the children.”
Oxford is in Granville County, roughly 30 miles northeast of Durham. The city’s police department didn’t reveal suspect information in its news release and didn’t immediately share additional details with McClatchy News on Oct. 25.
This story was originally published October 25, 2022 at 2:15 PM with the headline "18-month-old among six shot when gunfire erupts at celebration of life, NC cops say."
