2 Arrested After Boy, 3, Shot Dead in His Mother's Car in Cleveland

3-year-old boy fatally shot while inside his mother’s car in Cleveland, Ohio, on Thursday.Photo:ABC5

ABC5

Two people have been arrested for their alleged involvement in the fatal shooting of a 3-year-old boy who was inside his mother’s car in Cleveland, Ohio, on Thursday, according to local news affiliateABC 5.

CBS 11reported that Cleveland police said the shots were fired into a car in the Stockton neighborhood at around 2:20 p.m., killing a 3-year-old boy while his mother and 11-month-old brother were also inside the vehicle.

According to ABC 5, a 31-year-old man was also shot in the hip while he stood near the car on W. 66th Street near Denison Avenue.

However, police said the 31-year-old man sustained non-life-threatening injuries, according toABC News.

The outlet also reported that police said “several persons of interest have been detained” amid the ongoing investigation in which they have already arrested two.

Witnesses had reportedly told ABC 5 that they heard an altercation before “at least” eight gunshots were fired.

Cleveland Police did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.

“I wish I was shocked,” Pastor Jake Streeter of the Denison Avenue United Church of Christ told ABC 5 of the shooting. “I want to be shocked, but no, violence in poor communities is not a new thing. It’s just not a thing we’ve used appropriate responses to.”

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“Earlier today, our city lost a precious child to gun violence,” Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb said in astatementposted on Facebook on Thursday. “This heartbreaking incident is another reminder that we must come together as a city, state and nation to address this violence and its root causes.”

“No words can adequately express the pain and the sorrow of this tragedy,” he continued. “In the face of this loss, I ask the community to come together to support this family and to reaffirm our commitment to a safer city.”

Bibb concluded, “We will not rest until those responsible are held accountable and brought to justice.”

source: people.com