A 2-year-old child was shot in the face in a possible gang-related incident, authorities said, prompting outrage from law enforcement.
The shooting happened in Prichard, a city in Mobile County. Mobile Country Sheriff Paul Burch expressed frustration over the violence and criticized the Prichard Police Department in the wake of the incident.
Details about the circumstances surrounding the shooting remain under investigation. Here’s what we know.
Two shootings occur just minutes away from each other
The shooting happened around 1 a.m. on St. Stephens Road, according to authorities. Prichard Mayor Jimmie Gardner said the child was hospitalized and listed in stable condition as of Wednesday morning.
Just hours after the toddler was wounded, gunfire erupted again, this time only minutes away from the first scene.
Around 4 a.m., a resident on Vestavia Street reported hearing multiple gunshots and called the police but said no officers ever responded. The resident provided evidence of the call to authorities.”Let’s just say that there was a lot of frustration within the police department and there they are,” said Burch. “They are failing the citizens of that city.”
“Let them kill the hell out of each other,” expresses Sheriff Paul Burch
While police have not confirmed a connection between the two shootings, Sheriff Burch said he doesn’t believe in coincidences and is convinced the violence is gang-related and the shooting was drive-by.
“It’s teenagers, it’s gangs. And frankly, I wish we could put them all in an arena and let them kill the hell out of each other because that would solve the problem,” said Burch.
Gang activity reductions a priority
WKRG reports that the toddler’s teenage brother may have been the intended target in Wednesday’s shooting. Sheriff Burch said the teen is involved in gang activity and emphasized that cracking down on gangs remains a top priority for his office.
Burch also had a blunt warning for gang members: “I dare you to pull a gun on one of my guys,” he said. “Could be the last thing you do.”
Jennifer Lindahl is a Breaking and Trending Reporter for the Deep South Connect Team for Gannett/USA Today. Connect with her on X @jenn_lindahl and email at jlindahl@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: Mobile County Sheriff says he’d put gangs in arena to kill each other