MIAMI
(AP) — A 4-year-old girl was fatally shot while she sat in a car
outside her grandfather’s Miami home, and now detectives are trying to
determine if another child who was in the vehicle pulled the trigger,
police said Sunday.
The children were waiting in a white Mercedes-Benz Saturday evening
as an adult stood nearby outside in an impoverished neighborhood with
scattered storefront churches and boarded-up businesses on the northern
edge of Miami-Dade County.
Rahquel Carr was shot in the upper body with a handgun believed to
have been fired from inside the vehicle, Miami-Dade Police Detective Roy
Rutland said. The owner of the weapon and the car was not present and
has not been charged.
At least two other children were in the vehicle at the time, all
believed to have been younger than 10, Rutland said. Investigators were
speaking with those children, which Rutland said was a delicate process
because of their age.
“We are interviewing those kids and we’re trying to ascertain if one of the other children shot the kid,” he said.
The Miami-Dade Office of the State Attorney will review the case to
determine if any charges will be filed. An autopsy will also be done to
determine how many times the girl was shot, and where.
The adult who was standing nearby was not identified and has also not been charged.
Armando Alvarado, 58, was sitting inside his home three doors down
when he heard children screaming. He went outside and saw a woman crying
for help on her cell phone.
“She was crying desperately,” he said.
Police arrived within a minute, and a rescuer carried the girl into
an ambulance, he said. Her limbs were limp and blood was on her face.
The girl died a short time later after being airlifted to a hospital.
Rahquel’s grandfather also was hospitalized because he was overcome
with emotion. The two were very close, and he would sometimes watch the
girl while she rode her bike outside.
“The grandfather just loved her so much,” said Michael Hardaway, 55, who lives next door. “He couldn’t take it.”
On Sunday, the family gathered with a minister at the home but
declined to comment. P
olice tape had been removed, with only a large,
orange, spray-painted “X” remaining in front of the driveway.
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