Three girls recovering after drive-by shooting in Florida

LIBERTY CITY, Fla. - Police in Liberty City, Fla. said three girls were injured in a drive-by shooting Tuesday afternoon, reports CBS Miami.

Desharia Wright, 10, Jacquelyn Powell, 18, and a 15-year-old victim were treated for non-life threatening gunshot wounds at Jackson Memorial Hospital.

Police believe there was more than one person in the car at the time of the shooting, but are unsure if there were multiple shooters. Authorities spoke with witnesses Tuesday afternoon in an attempt to determine the make and model of the vehicle.

Witness Nowell Hayes told the station, “I just heard gunshots and ran.”

“[The girls] heard something like firecrackers,” Cynthia Brown, Desharia Wright’s grandmother, told CBS Miami. “Then all of the sudden [Desharia] said she couldn’t move her arm and her brother picked her up.”

Wright’s brother, Tieren Brown, said the scene was chaotic.

“It was terrifying,” said Michael King, Tieren’s friend who was a witness to the incident. “That’s the first I’ve ever seen anybody get shot.”

Desharia, a fourth grader, required surgery to treat the bullet-shattered bone in her upper right arm, her family told CBS Miami.

Powell’s mother, Sophia Taylor, said her daughter also received hospital treatment for superficial wounds.

“I almost had a panic attack. I was hurt because that’s my baby,” Taylor told the station. “So when they told me my daughter got shot, I automatically came over here…. Too many kids out here getting killed. They need to start putting love inside their heart and stop killing each other.”

Cynthia Brown shared the same sentiment. “They need to stop it. These kids want to grow up to be adults. They can’t play in their own neighborhoods because ignorant people out here doing these things,” she said.

“We should just stop the violence and come together as people. We all gotta live here,” Hayes said. “It’s just sad that this happens all the time.”

Those with information about the shooting are encouraged to call Miami-Dade Crimestoppers at 305-471-TIPS.