Police in North Carolina are pleading with the public to help identify the suspects who shot three children in two separate drive-by incidents Monday night, leaving one young girl dead.

“If you saw the murder of this innocent child and injuries to other innocent children, you must help in solving these cases,” Statesville Police said in a statement. “We do not believe the children were the intended targets.”

Statesville Police Department responded to the first call after shots were fired around 6:56 p.m., at 1309 Wilson Lee Boulevard. Officers found a nine-year-old female and a seven-year-old male both with gunshot wounds. Officers quickly began performing life-saving measures until EMS arrived and transported the children to a nearby hospital. The nine-year-old victim later succumbed to her injuries, police said.

Huge police presence in Statesville. Multiple scenes as police investigate shootings. Injuries unconfirmed. More info to come @wsoctv pic.twitter.com/UCyWQuX0fN

— Joe Bruno (@JoeBrunoWSOC9) June 29, 2021

Witnesses told police they saw what appeared to be a white Mercedes driving down the street while a person inside the vehicle began shooting.

As police were handling the investigation into the shooting, they heard gunshots around 8:34 p.m., and responded to 316 New Bern Avenue where they found a 10-year-old with a “non-life-threatening gunshot wound.”

Witnesses told police that they saw what appeared to be a white Honda Accord drive past the street with a subject inside firing shots. Anthony Caldwell was preparing to barbecue with his wife and grandchildren when the second shooting unfolded. (RELATED: Father Reportedly Takes 10-Year-Old Son For ‘Drive-By’ Paintball Shooting. Neighbor Returns Fire, Hitting Boy With Real Bullet)

“All of a sudden, we seen two cars speeding by. It sounded almost like fireworks,” Caldwell told Channel 9 “It was high-caliber weapons. I was in the military, and I know what weapons sound like. I came around the corner, and I heard a bunch of adults screaming and crying talking about, ‘The kid, the kid, the kid’.”

“So many of us turn and look the other way but these are our kids – these are babies,” he reportedly said. “I have grandkids. They could easily be one of mine or one of yours. We need to come together as a community. Whatever the disagreement is, their first mean of attack is their firearms. They are taking out innocent life. It’s got to stop.”