Children have continued to be victims of shootings in 2021 after a record-breaking year for gun-violence deaths in 2020.
Across the country, children as young as one year old were shot, sometimes fatally, while simply being children — playing outside with friends, or even playing inside their own homes.
Seven-year-old Reagan Grimes was shot Saturday during a spray of gunfire in Washington, D.C. while she was playing with a new friend, according to Fox 5. She is reportedly expected to make a full recovery. No arrests were yet reported.
Nearly 300 children were shot and killed in 2020, a 50% increase from 2019, and more than 5,100 children aged 17 and younger were killed or injured last year, Gun Violence archive data showed, according to the Washington Post.
In many of these cases, investigators were still searching for the person or people responsible for the shootings. While some suspects turned themselves in, or were eventually arrested in connection to the shooting of children, many remained at large. In Philadelphia, the Inquirer reported that only 18% of the shootings involving child victims resulted in an arrest.
These are nearly 50 incidents of shootings that resulted in injuries to children or child fatalities, dating back to April 2020 and starting with April 2021. This collection of incidents was based off of shootings of children that were widely reported. Follow-up searches on local reports were done to see whether arrests were made.
April 2021
Reagan Grimes: 7-year-old Reagan Grimes was shot in a spray of gunfire while coming home in Washington, D.C. on Saturday. Her injuries were considered life threatening initially, but family members said she is expected to make a full recovery. No arrests were yet reported, according to Fox 5.
I truly hope the person who shot Reagan Grimes sees her face and hears her brother’s pain.
I told him his words could make a difference to someone who might start shooting without thinking & I pray it’s true.
It has to stop.https://t.co/VxqV36jCv5 @fox5dc pic.twitter.com/f6k8ao38Qj
— Lindsay Watts (@LindsayAWatts) May 5, 2021
Ladavionne Garrett Jr: 10-year-old Ladavionne Garrett Jr. was critically injured after being shot in the head in Minneapolis while riding in a car home with his parents in May. No arrests were yet reported, according to WCCO.
Jaslyn Adams: 7-year-old Jasyln Adams was fatally shot while sitting in a car with her father outside a Chicago McDonald’s in April. Demond Goudy, 21, was charged with first-degree murder attempted first-degree murder in the shooting that also wounded the girl’s father, NBC Chicago reported.
LaPlace, Louisiana: Nine teens were shot at a 12-year-old’s birthday party in April. Nearly 60 people gathered for the party and policy said there were two guns involved. No arrests were yet reported, according to 4WWL.
Birmingham, Alabama: Four children were among the six people shot on Easter Sunday at a park. A 5-year-old, 15-year-old, 16-year-old, and 17-year-old child were injured, according to WBRC. No arrests were reported.
Chicago, Illinois: Deandre Binion, 25, was arrested on three counts of attempted murder and one count of aggravated battery and discharge of a firearm in connection to the road-rage shooting of a 22-month old boy in April, NBC reported. (RELATED: Police Data Shows Chicago Shootings For March At Highest Level In 4 Years)
Houston, Texas: A four-year-old girl was injured by a stray bullet at an apartment complex, ABC 13 reported. No arrests yet reported.
Yonkers, New York: A six-year-old boy was hit with a stray bullet. Three suspects, all under the age of 18, were in custody, according to WLNY.
Minneapolis, Minnesota: A 10-year-old boy was shot while inside a car. No arrests were reported.
Jackson, Mississippi: A six-year-old boy was shot after an unknown male followed his father into the house and fired several shots, according to WAPT. No arrests were reported.
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma: A seven-year-old boy was shot while playing at a park. No arrests were reported.
March
Kaelin Washington: 10-year-old Kaelin Washington was shot while walking to the story to buy a snack. Police arrested Tirik Trotman, 27, for the shooting, according to the Baltimore Sun.
Harley Belance: 11-year-old Harley Belance was shot and killed while riding a scooter with a friend. No arrests were yet reported.
Chicago, Illinois: An 11-year-old boy was shot while inside a vehicle. No arrests were reported.
February
Jackson, Mississippi: An eight-year-old and two-year-old child were shot by an unknown suspect while they were inside a vehicle. No arrests were reported.
January
Chassidy Saunders: 6-year-old Chassidy Saunders was killed in a drive-by shooting while she was at a birthday party in Miami. There is a $5,000 reward for information about the shooting. No arrests reported.
Sharon Cullins says her heart aches for family of Elijah LaFrance.
“It’s heartbreaking. It brings me to tears.”
Her 6-yr-old granddaughter Chassidy Saunders was shot and killed in January— also at a birthday party.
Her interview & new details in LaFrance case at 7 on @CBSMiami pic.twitter.com/p3MtJTTzPm
— Karli Barnett (@KarliBarnett) April 27, 2021
Dyersburg, Tennessee: A child and woman were injured in a shooting while trying to help a neighbor who was having car troubles on the side of the road, according to WREG. No arrests reported.
St. Charles Parish, Louisiana: A 5-year-old child was shot and killed at a home. No arrests were reported.
December
Jafar Brooks: 15-year-old Jafar Brooks was shot and killed outside an apartment complex in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. No arrests were reported.
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Two boys, ages 11 and 13, were shot while hanging out with friends on Christmas Day. No arrests were reported.
Washington, D.C.: A 9-year-old girl was shot by what police believed was a stray bullet. No arrests were reported.
Carmelo Duncan: 15-month-old Carmelo Duncan was fatally shot while sitting in his father’s car in Washington, D.C. No arrests were reported.
DC saw a record number of killings so far this year — 197 ❗️
The most since 2005 — when 196 fathers, mothers, brothers and sisters were killed. @wusa9
NOTE: It’s been nearly 3 weeks and 1-year-old Carmelo Duncan’s killer still hasn’t been captured. pic.twitter.com/vMZF6gPWex
— Lorenzo Hall (@LorenzoHall) December 22, 2020
November
Sadeek-Clark Harrison: 12-year-old Sadeek-Clark Harrison was fatally shot while walking to the door to answer it in Philadelphia. No arrests were reported.
Memphis, Tennessee: A 12-year-old child was killed in a drive-by shooting. No arrests were reported.
New York, New York: An eight-year-old girl was shot in the knee outside of a supermarket in Harlem.
Zylah McQueen: Four-year-old Zylah McQueen was shot in Philadelphia. No arrests were reported.
Chicago, Illinois: A five-year-old boy was shot in the head and injured after gunshots were fired into his home while he was playing inside. No arrests were reported.
October
Makaylah Brent: 9-year-old Makaylah Brent was shot and killed in a drive-by shooting during a family gathering at a Sacramento park. A 6-year-old child was also injured, along with a woman. Laise Hands, 21, was charged with murder and attempted murder.
Johnny and Gustavo Perez: 8-year-old and 16-year-old brothers were fatally shot after a gunman allegedly opened fire from outside their home, according to police. No arrests were reported.
September
Midwest City, Oklahoma: A 12-year-old was fatally shot at an apartment complex. Witnesses told police juveniles fled the scene after shots were fired, according to KOCO. A 16-year-old reportedly turned himself in and was taken into custody on a manslaughter complaint.
Chicago, Illinois: A 10-year-old girl was shot while at the park with a group of friends. No arrests were reported.
Detroit, Michigan: A 7-year-old child was shot in a drive-by shooting. No arrests were reported.
August
Chicago, Illinois: A 9-year-old boy was fatally shot while playing outside townhomes. A suspect was in custody days after the shooting. No arrests were reported.
Louisville, Kentucky: A 3-year-old girl whose family identified her as Trinity was shot and killed. No arrests were reported.
July
Secoriea Turner: Eight-year-old Secoriea Turner was fatally shot while in a car with her mother and her mother’s friend in Atlanta. 19-year-old Julian Conley turned himself in and was charged with killing Turner.
The man charged in the fatal shooting of 8-year-old Secoriea Turner at a makeshift roadblock in Atlanta last summer will remain behind bars after being denied bond Friday morning. https://t.co/5iTbM7efL7
— Atlanta Journal-Constitution (@ajc) March 1, 2021
Davon McNeal: 11-year-old boy Davon McNeal was fatally shot while going into a building to get a phone charger in Washington, D.C. Four suspects turned themselves in in connection to the shooting.
Chicago, Illinois: A three-year-old girl was reportedly playing outside in the front yard with other children when shots were heard. The girl was found with a bullet wound to her chest. No arrests were reported.
A 15-year-old was shot only a few blocks away in an unrelated shooting, according to ABC 7. No arrests were reported.
June
Chicago, Illinois: A three-year-old boy was shot while in a vehicle. No arrests were reported.
Tuscaloosa, Alabama: An eight-year-old boy was shot while sitting in his family’s car. People nearly said they heard 20 to 40 shots fired. No arrests were reported.
Trenton, New Jersey: A 12-year-old was shot in a drive-by shooting. Two people were reportedly in custody in connection to the shooting.
Brooklyn, New York: An 11-year-old was shot in a drive-by shooting. No arrests were reported.
May
La Puente, California: A 10-year-old boy was fatally shot while inside a vehicle. There were no arrests reported several months later, and a $20,000 reward was offered for information leading to the boy’s killer.
Chicago, Illinois: A 12-year-old child was fatally shot while getting snacks with a relative. No arrests were reported.
April 2020
Chester, Pennsylvania: A 7-year-old boy was fatally shot in a drive-by shooting. No arrests were reported.
Chicago, Illinois: Four people were shot, including a five-year-old girl. Four of the victims were on a porch when someone in a vehicle opened fire. No arrests were reported.