‘She didn’t get to grow up.’ Young girl killed in possible drive-by shooting in Statesville, N.C.

STATESVILLE, N.C. (WBTV) - An 8-year-old girl was killed in one of two separate shootings that left two other children hurt in Statesville Monday night.

The 8-year-old girl and a 7-year-old boy were shot in a possible drive-by shooting on Wilson Lee Boulevard around 7 p.m. While investigating, police heard gunshots around 8:30 p.m. on nearby Newbern Avenue, where officers say a 10-year-old child was injured in a potential drive-by shooting.

Officials say the 8-year-old girl died. The 7-year-old boy is being treated for his injuries and the 10-year-old is expected to be OK.

Kendalen Howell said her granddaughter, Ah’miyahh Howell, was the child who was killed in the shooting. She claimed Ah’miyahh was only 8 years old and had not yet turned nine. She described her granddaughter as a smart, sassy little girl who enjoyed the social media app TikTok.

“My granddaughter did not know that she was gonna wake up today and be dead today. She didn’t even know, but she went up on the porch and told my momma that she loved her, and that’s the last thing we seen of her and we dropped her off at my sister’s house,” Kendalen Howell said. “They’re supposed to have been going swimming. She never even got to make it swimming because they took her life before she could go swimming.”

Kendalen Howell said she wants to know why the shooters shot at innocent kids playing outside.

“It makes me upset that you took my granddaughter away from me. She didn’t even get to live her life. She didn’t get to grow up,” Kendalen Howell said. She said her nephew was also shot and suffered a broken leg and pelvic bone. “Y’all just shot innocent kids. Y’all didn’t care who you hit. You just hit anybody.”

Witnesses told police that a white car, possibly a Mercedes, was seen with a person shooting from inside the car.

Witnesses at the second scene told police a white possible Honda Accord drove by with someone shooting from inside the car.

“We are actively investigating these cases and asking if anyone has information regarding these violent crimes, please contact the Statesville Police Department,” Statesville police said. “If you saw the murder of this innocent child and injuries to the other innocent children, you must help in solving these cases. If you have evidence or information regarding the shooters, please contact us. We do not believe the children were the intended targets.”

One man told WBTV he performed CPR on a child who was shot.

“Then all a sudden, we seen two cars speeding by,” Statesville resident Anthony Caldwell said. “It sounded almost like fireworks. It was high-powered weapons. Whenever I came around the corner, I heard a bunch of adults screaming and crying, talking about, ‘the kids, the kids.’”

“I then tried to administer first aid, first response CPR until the medical EMTs or the police stations arrived. After that, I got out of the way and let them do their job.”

Frederick Foster, Statesville City Council, said, “A kid should be able to play outside without worrying about getting shot. I mean it’s summertime. A child should be able to come outside and play.”

Kendalen Howell said she was not sure who was responsible for the gunfire, and didn’t know why people were firing in the direction of children.

“Why would you come by shooting, doing a drive-by, shooting at innocent kids, kids sitting outside playing, harmless kids?” questioned Howell.

Police have not said if any arrests have been made.

No other information was provided.

Check back with WBTV News for updates on this story.

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