A 22-month-old Florida boy who was rushed to the hospital after he was shot three times in a drive-by shooting on Jacksonville's Eastside Friday night has died from his injuries.
The Jacksonville Sheriff's Office identified the boy as Aiden McClendon.
Chief Tom Hackney said the shooting was gang-related. McClendon was shot once in the shoulder and a couple of times in the stomach, Hackney said.
JSO began investigating the shooting on Spearing Street shortly after 6 p.m. Friday. The child was inside the car with his mother and grandmother, Hackney said.
The Sheriff’s Office said several shots were fired from a passing car. The car with the child, his mother and grandmother inside was in front of a home, which was also hit by bullets. The child was the only person hit by bullets in the shooting.
Hackney said it does not appear that the child, his mother or grandmother were the intended targets.
Detectives searched the area near Albert and Spearing streets to figure out if there were more people who were shot, but after determining the child was the only one hurt, police are now just looking for witnesses.
Officers were seen speaking with several people at the crime scene Friday night.
Lt. George Grant said officers don’t know how many suspects were involved, but they reportedly fled the scene in a white vehicle that fled westbound on Albert Street.
“We just know of the white vehicle fleeing the area,” Grant said. “We are trying to locate any witnesses right now, because we need to get these dirt bags off the street.”
Hackney pleaded for tips from the public to find the suspect or suspects, and had a stern message for those suspects.
"You don't deserve to be walking on the streets we walk," Hackney said.
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