A 12-year-old girl from Connecticut died after being shot in the head during a drive-by shooting that targeted three other people who were wounded in the gunfire.
Secret Pierce, a student at Thurman L. Milner Middle School, was inside a vehicle when shots rang out at about 8:45 p.m. on Thursday.
Secret Pierce’s cause of death
The incident resulted in three other people getting injured. An 18-year-old injured man was found on the sidewalk while the other two, a 16-year-old boy and a 23-year-old man, arrived at the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
The mayor of Hartford, Luke Bronin, called on the three injured people with “extensive firearm involvement and criminal history” to cooperate with the police because they likely know who opened fire.
He added that it is not fair to Secret’s family, loved ones, memory, and the community not to share information that they know about the incident.
Authorities believe that Secret was not the intended target of the shooters. According to Lt. Aaron Boisvert, it appears that the girl had nothing to do with the incident.
Police are actively working to identify the vehicle that captured footage of the incident. The authorities are also unsure if anyone returned fire at the passing vehicle and if anyone inside it was injured.
Increased support services will be offered throughout the day by Hartford Public Schools.
The founder of Mothers United Against Violence, Henrietta Beckman, said Secret’s death marks a sad day in Hartford.
She added that more needs to be done to get guns off the street as people continue to lose their lives.
Secret Pierce, a student at Thurman L. Milner Middle School Shot Dead