According to the Statesville Police Department, one child was killed and two other were injured in a pair drive-by shootings that occurred late Monday in Statesville.Investigators believe a 9-year old girl was killed in the shootings. Police did not release her identity, but family members told WBTV that Ahmiyahh Howell was her name. A 7-year old boy and she were playing in the yard.According to police, the shooting occurred just before 7 p.m. Monday at a residence in the 1300 block Wilson Lee Boulevard on Statesville's south side.Statesville lies approximately 40 miles north-east of Charlotte.Police said that officers located two children who were shot in the head outside the house.Officers... immediately started life-saving efforts until EMS arrived. ... Both children were taken to the hospital. The injuries to the 9-year old child caused her death.Police said that the 7-year old boy remains in hospital. His condition was not disclosed.According to police, witnesses told police that the gunfire was coming from a white car (or possibly a Mercedes) going south on Wilson Lee Boulevard.Officers stated that they were still on the scene when they heard gunfire around 8:34 PM. They discovered that another shooting had taken place three blocks east at 316 New Bern Avenue.Police arrived at the scene to find a 10-year old boy with a non-life-threatening gunshot wound.Investigators have yet to say if they believe that the shootings were related. Police said that it was believed the children weren't the intended target.David W. Addison, Police Chief, posted Tuesday's Facebook note stating that his department has difficulty finding witnesses. He said that too many people fear being called a snitch in the community.As we responded to the scene last night, it was heartbreaking to see two innocent children get shot. Addison said that this senseless violence must stop.Continue the storyBetter for our community! Children deserve to be able to play in peace without fear. We face the greatest challenge in bringing forward witnesses to these crimes. Our community is destroyed from the inside if we don't provide information that can help solve crime. I won't (accept) the excuse of not participating in solving crime. If you don't share information, you allow crime to continue.WBTV Ahmiyahh's Kendalen Howell said that her granddaughter was her granddaughter. She described her as a smart and sassy little girl.It is very upsetting that you have taken my granddaughter from me. She never got to live her own life. Howell stated that she didn't grow up.
