COLUMBUS – Police say a 4-year-old girl has been added to the list of victims from a fatal shooting on the Northeast Side Friday.
Detectives say Injuries were found on the girl, who had been inside of a vehicle struck by multiple gunshots outside the Express Mart on E. 5th Avenue Friday afternoon, while the family of two other wounded children were at Nationwide Children’s Hospital, according to Sgt. Christ Holzhauser of the Homicide Unit. He says the girl was in stable condition but remained in the hospital Saturday.
Marctarius Grace, 18, (right) has been arrested on a murder charge in connection with the shooting, which left a 7-year-old boy dead.
The incident – the second shooting of the day involving children – prompted a statement from Mayor Andrew Ginther.
“We cannot tolerate children being killed in our city or allow ourselves to become numb to neighborhood violence,” he said. “While the Columbus Division of Police, Department of Recreation and Parks and many other city employees are working diligently to improve neighborhood safety, collectively we need to do more to end violence in our city. I call on all our parents, educators, and neighborhood, civic and faith leaders to redouble our efforts to end violence in our community.”
Anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact the Columbus Police Homicide Unit at 614-645-4730 or the Crime Stoppers Tip Line at 614-461-TIPS (8477).