A 13-year-old Ohio girl was shot and killed on May 19 in Youngstown and a suspect is in custody, according to authorities.
Youngstown Carl Chief Davis called out the concern of what he said was a 13-year-old who was out at 12:30 am with what he called irresponsible adults partying in the streets.
Lt. Mohammad Awad said the victim was 13-year-old London Jones, and this was a common occurrence and went on to say that any charges against the parents are still being looked at.
“What’s the best outcome of that? Taking your 13-year-old, 14-year-old out drinking at 12:30 in the morning?
What is the best possible outcome?… I don’t get it, you stop drinking at 1 o’clock then drive home with those kids?” said Lieutenant Mohommad Awad.
Awad said he can’t understand why a 13-year-old child was out at that time on a school night.
“While we hold the perpetrator accountable for their actions, it is crucial for us to reflect upon our own responsibility as parents, guardians and community members, we must ask ourselves, why a 13-year-old was out at such an hour, exposed to an environment that eventually led to this loss,” Awad said.
Mayor Tito Brown asked that the family have time to grieve properly.
According to police, the teen was shot on the 400 block of Carroll Street at around 12:30 a.m. Friday.
Awad said that 29-year-old Shamara Green was a family friend of the victim’s mother. She was booked into the county jail Friday on and charged with the murder. London was not the intended target.
Police responded to a call of shots fired after a fight broke out on the street.
The victim was taken to Mercy Hospital where she was pronounced dead.
The 911 audio shares some insight of what happened at the scene. One caller told the 911 operator he heard three shots fired and then heard screaming.
According to one of the witnesses, the suspect’s car may have been a white Chrysler.
The distraught 13-year-old victim’s mother is also heard pleading with the 911 center with to send help.
Chief Davis said when they arrived at the scene there was a trail of empty cups and alcohol bottles.
“A 13-year-old child should not have been part of that. That disturbs me more than anything I’ve probably seen in my career,” Davis said.
“We cannot keep turning a blind eye to the factors that led our children down dangerous paths,” Awad said.
Awad went on to state that during their investigation, multiple adults lied to them about what happened, despite the fact that a child had been shot.
“When the life of an innocent 13-year-old is taken, it should be a wake-up call for us to prioritize truth and cooperation,” he said.
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