Doctor: 5-Year-Old Boy Shot In Jersey City 'Moving, Talkative'
JERSEY CITY, N.J. (CBSNewYork/AP) -- A 5-year-old boy who was shot in the abdomen in Jersey City Wednesday is in stable condition after undergoing surgery.
Jersey City Medical Center spokesman Mark Rabson said that the boy, identified as Jaden Thaxton, is moving and talkative. He will remain in the hospital overnight.
The shooting occurred around 3:30 p.m. Wednesday on Martin Luther King Drive.
It wasn't clear what sparked the shooting, but neighbors say they saw people running through the streets and heard shots being fired.
Brittney Lockett told WCBS 880's Alex Silverman she saw him drop.
"My heart hurt," she said.
And just like that, the shooter was gone.
"Four or five people were trying to help, holding him and keeping him calm," Lockett said.
Sarina Johnson is a family friend, and said it was "scary" to see the Jaden lying there.
Lockett said the shooting happened in the children's only place to play, as she looked around the courtyard between three low blue-gray buildings.
"We need more cops around here," she said. "We need a playground for these kids around here."
So far no arrests have been made.
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