Jul 4, 2009 2:32 pm US/Eastern
Police Arrest Teen In Shooting Of 5-Year-Old
BALTIMORE (WJZ) ―
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Police have arrested a 17-year-old for shooting a five-year-old girl in Baltimore.
CBS
A Baltimore teenager has been arrested and is accused of shooting a 5-year-old, leaving the little girl clinging to life.
Suzanne Collins reports an all search for the suspect led to the arrest.
The police commissioner says the department has worked around the clock since the shooting of the little girl on Thursday and it's been fruitful.
A suspect is now in custody.
A relative of the little girl is elated to learn of news that police have finally made an arrest.
"There are things we do in life that we have to answer for," says Tina Moore, a relative of the victim.
Moore went on to say that settling a fight with a gun is, "never the answer."
The five-year-old was an innocent victim when two boys got into a fight on South Pulaski Street.
Police say one of the boys went to get a gun and carelessly fired a series of shots striking both the intended victim and the child.
"We were able to identify the suspect who is Lamont Davis, a young man whose 17-years of age. We obtained an arrest warrant last night for Mr. Davis and this morning located him at about 8 o'clock," said Commissioner Fred Bealefeld.
Police say the arrested Davis at a house in South Baltimore and are searching that home for evidence.
In the neighborhood where the child was shot people are pleased by the quick action by police.
"I'm relieved, I know now that it's safe for my kids to come outside. I don't have to worry about him running around," said Eileen Goetz, a neighbor.
The five year old's name is Raven.
She was shot in the head and was bleeding from the mouth according to witnesses.
Another mother who was on the street, but didn't know Raven, came up to try to comfort her as she lay wounded.
Police are out in force in force in the neighborhood where the shooting occurred, as a show of force, and possibly to prevent retaliation for the attack.
The young girl remains at Shock Trauma on a respirator.
She is listed in grave condition.
Police say the suspect, Lamont Davis, will be charged with two counts of attempted murder.
Mayor Dixon was on the scene shortly after the shooting on Thursday. At the time she expressed outrage that the shooter had shown a reckless disregard for human life.
She said in a statement Saturday afternoon, "I am grateful for the work done by the detectives and officers to quickly solve this terrible act of violence. I will continue to pray for young "Raven" and her family in this very difficult time. This incident is a stark reminder that we must remain vigilant in our efforts to get illegal guns - and those who use illegal guns - off the street. By continuing to engage people in every community, we can prevent tragedies like this from happening again."
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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