8-Year-Old Indiana Girl Dies 1 Week After Being Hit by Stray Bullet While Doing Homework
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An 8-year-old girl who was struck in the head with a stray bullet last week died on Wednesday, officials said.
On Oct. 22, East Chicago police responded to a call in East Chicago, Indiana, after Timya Andrews was shot while working on her homework inside her living room, reports The Chicago Sun-Times newspaper.
Someone allegedly fired 16 shots from an automatic weapon at about 10 p.m., the paper reports. One of the bullets went through the walls of Timya’s home and struck her in the head.
Police responded to the scene and found Timya on her living room floor. She was transported to Comer Children’s Hospital in Chicago.
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A male relative of the girl had been shot a week earlier, but officials would not say whether the shootings were related, according to TV station ABC7.
"A little over a week ago we did have a shooting that had something to do with a person in this house, but again we're not sure it's related," Deputy Chief Jose Rivera with the East Chicago Police Department told the station.
Neighbors told the station that the family had moved to the neighborhood from Chicago in order to escape gun violence, the station reported.
An autopsy was conducted on Timya and ruled a homicide. She was not the intended target, reported TV station CBS2.
Police have not made any arrests, but if anyone has information, they should call East Chicago Police Department's anonymous tip line at 219-391-8500.
