Father of 11-year-old boy killed in a shooting that left 4 children injured asks: ‘How many people have to bury their kids?’

(CNN) — An 11-year-old boy was killed and four other children injured when someone in a car opened fire into a crowd Friday night in Cincinnati, officials said, in yet another example of “the reality these kids have to live through” as the nation’s gun violence epidemic roils on.

An adult was also injured in the barrage of gunfire in the city’s West End neighborhood, Police Chief Teresa Theetge said. The shooter is still on the loose, with no arrests reported in the case by Monday afternoon.

“Twenty-two rounds were fired,” Mayor Aftab Pureval said during a news conference Sunday. “Twenty-two rounds in a moment, into a crowd of kids. No time to respond, no time to react.

“That is the reality that these kids had to live through, and the reality and the trauma that they will have to deal with for the rest of their lives.”

“How many people have to bury their kids, their babies, their loved ones?” Isaac Davis, the father of the slain boy – identified as Dominic Davis by the Hamilton County Coroner’s Office – asked at the news conference.

The shooting adds to the already devastating toll of gun violence on America’s youth. More than 1,400 children and teens have been killed by a gun so far this year, according to the Gun Violence Archive. And since 2020 – when firearms surpassed car crashes to become the leading cause of death for children in the US – gun-related injuries have sent children to emergency rooms at significantly higher rates than ever, new research shows.

In Cincinnati, Davis on Sunday implored “anybody that knows anything to come forward, please. Just please come forward, we’re begging.”

Theetge echoed that sentiment in her message to the shooter: “Turn yourself in, call a loved one, have them turn you in, because if you don’t, we will find you and we will bring you to justice.”

A crisis response team was dispatched Monday to Robert A. Taft Information Technology High School, where three of the injured victims are students, Cincinnati Public Schools said in a statement.

Gun violence: America’s youngest victims

“We recognize this tragic event and our support remains with the students, their families, friends and school community,” the district said.

The shooting happened around 9:20 p.m. Friday, a news release from the Cincinnati Police Department said. The 11-year-old was pronounced dead at the scene.

Three of those injured were taken to Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center in critical condition, hospital officials told CNN. One had been discharged as of Saturday, the hospital said. Two victims were taken to University Hospital, police said. CNN has again reached out to the hospital.

CNN’s Chris Boyette contributed to this story.

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