4-year-old girl shot while playing outside New Jersey apartment complex
ASBURY PARK, New Jersey (WABC) -- A 4-year-old girl is in intensive care after being shot outside an apartment complex in New Jersey Tuesday afternoon.
The shooting took place in broad daylight in Asbury Park as the child was sitting outside on the front porch of her home.
Now, the family now wants the person responsible arrested and prosecuted.
"This is ridiculous," the victim's grandmother, Lynn Johnson, said. "I think whoever did this has no morals for life in general. I think they need to be captured and they need to be punished to the fullest extent of the law."
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The girl was playing outside around 1:30 p.m. when gunshots rang out, and she was struck in the leg, breaking the femur bone.
Police aren't sure of the intended target, and officers swarmed the area following the shooting looking for any clues as the girl was rushed to the hospital.
The complex is relatively new, but one neighbor said she is ready to move out because this kind of reckless violence is taking place too close to home.
The family of the little girl, who has a twin sister, says it's a shame she is not safe even so close to home.
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"This is where children play at every day, and whoever did this needs to answer," Johnson said. "And whoever knows something about it needs to say something."
The Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office is investigating the case.
"Enough is enough," Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher J. Gramiccioni said. "We have a toddler who was struck and injured by a stray bullet while sitting outside her apartment in the middle of the day. Thankfully, all indications are that the little girl will recover. Unfortunately, though, this has not always been the case. 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. We must do everything in our power to ensure that Monmouth County's citizens, and their children, are safe and protected. We are requesting the public's assistance to help bring the perpetrator to justice for this heinous and monstrous act."
No arrests have been made, and there is no word if police have identified any suspects.
Anyone with information about this case is urged to call Detective William Anton of the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office at 1-800-533-7443 or Asbury Park Police Detective Dillon Gourley at 1-732-774-1300.
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