A 12-year-old boy in Connecticut has sustained multiple gunshot wounds after he threw a snowball at a car in Hartford.
The boy, whose name was not publicly identified by authorities, was allegedly playing with his 11-year-old friend at approximately 7:15 p.m. local time in the area of Capitol Avenue and Park Terrace on Wednesday. They were throwing snowballs when one hit a car.
Authorities said the vehicle "looped the block" to chase the kids before firing multiple rounds at the pair," NBC News reported, citing Hartford Police Lt. Aaron Boisvert.
The 12-year-old boy was rushed to Connecticut Children's Medical Center. His injuries are believed to be non-life-threatening. The 11-year-old child was not struck by the bullets.
Investigation Into the Juvenile Shooting
As of Friday, authorities with the Hartford Police Department have yet to make any arrests in relation to the case. However, they have launched an investigation and are beginning to review videos and other leads to identify the car and its occupants, according to USA Today.
Gun Violence in the US
The shooting is the latest in a string of gun violence cases involving young children and adolescents.
On Wednesday, a 17-year-old male student armed with a pistol opened fire in the cafeteria at Antioch High School, killing a female student and injuring another. The school's resource officers were in the building but not in the cafeteria during the shooting. They were not able to stop the 17-year-old before he turned the gun on himself, per USA Today.
As of Friday, 14 children aged 0 to 11 have been killed, while 26 kids in the same age group were injured. Among teens aged 12 to 17, at least 53 have been killed in gun violence cases, while 132 have sustained injuries, according to data from the Gun Violence Archive.
For perspective, 250 children aged 0 to 11 were killed, and 547 were injured last year in gun violence incidents. The death toll increased to 1,171 among teens aged 12 to 17. Also, in the same age group, 3,239 were injured last year.
