A 27-year-old man has been arrested on attempted murder and other charges in the shooting of a 4-year-old girl who was wounded in the leg as she sat outside her family's home in New Jersey earlier this week, officials said Thursday.
Sciaire Jackson, of Lakewood, allegedly rode up on a bicycle and began firing a handgun at several people located outside of an apartment just after 1:30 p.m. Tuesday. The toddler, who was outside her home on Boston Way in Asbury Park at the time, was hit in the upper thigh area, with the bullet breaking the femur bone.
Prosecutors say the girl was not the intended target. Someone else fired back at Jackson, they say, though that person has not yet been identified.
While the girl is expected to recover, Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher Gramiccioni said incidents like these have occurred in the past with tragic results.
"Enough is enough,” Gramiccioni stated. “We have a toddler who was struck and injured by a stray bullet while sitting outside her apartment in the middle of the day."
"In 2018, 10-year-old Yovanni Banos-Merino, lost his life while hiding under a bed from gunfire. These senseless acts of violence must stop," he added. "We must do everything in our power to ensure that Monmouth County's citizens, and their children, are safe and protected."
There was no known motive for the shooting. Attorney information for Jackson wasn't immediately available. Anyone with information on the shooting is urged to contact the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office.