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Two 9-year-old girls were shot and injured by stray bullets in Houston within a week, according to city officials.
The first, Ashanti Grant, was shot in the head last week during an apparent road rage incident while she was traveling with her family to the grocery store around 9 p.m. Feb. 8. Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner announced a $30,000 reward for information that could lead to the arrest of the suspect in the girl's shooting.
Ashanti's aunt, NaTasha Grant, shared a message for her niece's suspected shooter in an interview with Fox News Digital: "You know what you were doing that day, and if you could please turn yourself in, we just want justice for her. If you don't want to do it for us, do it for her."
Ashanti Grant (GoFundMe/NaTasha Grant)
Grant, who lost her father last month to COVID-19, added that her niece "loves cartoons," "still believes in fairytales" and "loves animals."
"She wanted to be a doctor, actually," Grant said before pleading again for the suspect or suspects to "turn themselves in."
HOUSTON OFFICIALS PLEAD FOR INFO ON ROAD RAGE SUSPECT WHO SHOT 9-YEAR-OLD GIRL IN THE HEAD
Less than a week after the shooting of Ashanti, another 9-year-old girl, whom authorities have not publicly identified, was struck by a stray bullet while she and her four family members were driving by the scene of an apparent robbery at an ATM drive-thru. The robbery allegedly resulted in shots fired, Houston Police Department Executive Chief Matt Slinkard said during a Monday evening press conference.
Tragically, a bullet from the shooting struck the victim while she was in her family's vehicle.
Houston Police Department Executive Chief Matt Slinkard during a Monday evening press conference. (Twitter/ Houston PD)
Both the unnamed girl and Ashanti remain in critical condition as of Tuesday afternoon.
Houston police on Tuesday announced the arrest a 41-year-old suspect in Monday's shooting of the unnamed 9-year-old girl. The shooting suspect was at a bank ATM drive-thru with his wife when a male suspect robbed them. The shooting suspect allegedly fired first at the robbery suspect, who fled the scene on foot. The shooting suspect then shot a pickup truck that he thought the robbery suspect had entered but ended up striking the 9-year-old girl inside the vehicle instead, the Houston PD said.
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The robbery suspect remains at large.
"It's very stressful to see that happening again," Grant said when asked about her reaction to the second 9-year-old girl injured by a stray bullet after her niece. "[I]t seems like almost every day or every other day. There is something happening in Houston, and I know it's not just here, it's everywhere. Right? … More people are picking up guns because now they feel they can. They have their opportunity to."
She added that "crime is increasing," and families feel like they can't take children outside after dark.
Grant created a GoFundMe titled, "Ashanti Grant Roadrage shooting," in an effort to raise money for her niece's medical treatment and any therapy she will need in her recovery. The fundraiser has garnered $24,000 so far.
"This will be a long road to recovery for her," the GoFundMe states. "Funds will be sent directly to her family to cover any medical/recovery expenses that she will need to get back to her life."
Houston police said they will release the name of Monday's shooting suspect later on Tuesday once charges are formally filed.
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Sylvester on Feb. 2 announced a new initiative to combat violent crime in Houston that includes a $1 million gun buyback program, $1.5 million in additional funding for the Houston Forensic Science Center to address court backlogs and an additional $3 million for domestic violence programs, among other proposals.
The East Texas city ranks No. 2 for cities with the highest number of homicides so far in 2022, falling just behind Chicago. Both Chicago and Houston have recorded more homicides so far than New York City and Los Angeles, according to Click2Houston.
