A young boy is fighting for his life following a shooting in Wilmington, Delaware Tuesday afternoon.
The 6-year-old boy and his 31-year-old mother were inside an SUV at a stop sign on the 700 block of E. 6th Street when an unidentified gunman got out of another car and opened fire. Irene Turner, a woman who lives in the area and witnessed the shooting, told NBC10 she heard seven gunshots.
"I was sitting right there in that chair and it happened down there," Turner said. "The white van backed up and flew down the street real fast."
The boy was shot in the head while his mother was cut on her arm by glass.
"When he got shot it went across his nose and mouth and it was bleeding," Turner said.
The boy was taken to the A.I. DuPont Children's Hospital and is currently in critical condition. His mother was taken to St. Francis Hospital. She was later released.
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Police searched the SUV and another car that was also struck with bullets.
"It hit the actual metal of the door," the owner of the second vehicle said. "The force of the bullet was so strong that it cracked the window."
A playground, Sarah Pyle Academy and Bancroft Elementary School are all located near where the shooting took place.
The 6-year-old boy is a Kindergarten student at Thomas Edison Charter School. Teachers from the school are with the boy's family at the hospital. The principal of Thomas Edison Charter said it appears the boy and his mother were innocent bystanders in the shooting though police have not confirmed that. The principal also said counselors will be at the school Wednesday to help grieving children.
Wilmington Mayor Mike Purzycki released a statement on the shooting.
"I will do everything I can through law enforcement and through the delivery of needed programs and services to reduce crime and assure citizens that we are focused on ending violence and stabilizing neighborhoods," he wrote.
No arrests have been made and police have not released information on any suspects. If you have any information on the shooting please call Detective Devon Jones at 302-576-6206. You can also leave tips on the Delaware Crime Stoppers Tip-line at 1-800-TIP-3333, or text a tip to NIXLE at 888777.
EDITOR'S NOW: Officials initially reported the boy's mother had also been shot. They later said the mother was cut by glass but not struck by a bullet.
