ATLANTA — Police are investigating the shooting of a 7-year-old who was riding in a car with a relative.
According to the Atlanta Police Department, officers responded to Scottish Rite Hospital at about 9 p.m. Monday to a call about a child being shot.
At the hospital investigators spoke to the child’s aunt who informed them she had been driving past Phipps Plaza when she heard several gunshots.
The aunt continued to drive and a short time later noticed that her niece was acting strangely. The aunt realized the child had been shot and drove to the hospital where the victim was taken into surgery in critical condition.
Investigators say the girl was shot in the back of the head. They do not believe the vehicle the victim was riding in was the intended target of the shooters.
Police say there was a dispute involving several men in the parking lot of Saks Fifth Avenue, but could not confirm the gunshots were a result of that dispute.
Homicide detectives took over the case and are working to determine the circumstances surrounding the incident. The 7-year-old girl remains in critical condition.
A $10,000 reward has been set by CrimeStoppers for information leading to an arrest and conviction in the case.
