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5-year-old girl killed, father hurt in shooting in Dayton neighborhood

DAYTON — A five-year-old girl has died after being shot in a Dayton neighborhood last week, Dayton Police confirm.

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As previously reported by News Center 7, Dayton police responded around 9:20 p.m. on Friday to the 3000 block of Nicholas Road on reports of a shooting.

A man called 911 and told dispatchers he and his daughter had been shot, but could not speak long out of fear.

As reported on News Center 7 at 5:00, the gunfire began just after the girl was placed in her car seat. Police said the father took the girl out of the seat as the gunfire happened and ran for safety inside the home after being shot in the foot himself.

“We don’t know at what point she was struck, whether it was inside the vehicle or not,” Dayton Police Lieutenant Eric Sheldon said. “We do know gunfire erupted while she was sitting in a vehicle and he was getting ready to leave.”

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Both the father and daughter were rushed to local hospitals, but Sheldon confirmed on Monday that the 5-year-old died from her injuries at the hospital.

The father’s injuries were non-life-threatening.

The child’s identity has not been officially confirmed. Family members held a vigil and balloon launch Sunday in her honor. Dayton’s mayor, Jeffrey Mims, Jr., was invited to the small gathering.

“We talked about the aspect of one loss of life is one too many,” Mims said.

The mayor told the family he wants to share their pain and support them. It’s exactly why he and other city leaders are bringing the Violence Interruption Program to the city.

“Clearly, we want to find the individuals who are responsible for this and, more than that, we want to find ways of preventing this from happening to anyone else because no one deserves to go through this type of pain,” Mims said.

The shooting is under investigation by the Dayton Police Department’s Homicide Unit.

Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to contact police at (937) 333-1232 to speak to detectives. Anonymous tips can be submitted through Crime Stoppers at (937) 222-STOP (7867) or www.miamivalleycrimestoppers.com.

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