A 7-year-old girl playing outside her grandmother's house on Long Island Saturday afternoon became the latest victim of gun violence when a bullet police say was meant for someone else struck her in the arm.
Patricia Murphy said her granddaughter was playing with her 3-year-old brother, riding her pink scooter in the middle of the day when she was caught in the crossfire.
"She was screaming 'Help me! Help me! Why would someone shoot me? Why would someone shoot me?' There was a bullet hole in her arm - it went through her coat," Murphy said.
The young girl was rushed to a nearby hospital where she was treated and later released.
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"The gun violence over here is horrible, I cannot live here anymore. I have to move, because they can't come here anymore. She doesn't want to come here anymore, she's frightened," Murphy said.
Police swarmed the Hempstead neighborhood around 3 p.m. looking for answers but their investigation has not led to any arrests and no suspect description has been released.
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Why anyone was shooting in that neighborhood in broad daylight remains a mystery without a motive from officials, but it's left this family outraged.
"You’re running out, shooting in broad daylight. This is a family community, there's children playing all the time," she added. "Something has to be done, period."
