According to US reports, a six-year-old boy was killed in a “road rage” shooting while being transported to school in Los Angeles, the latest of a rising string of young victims of gun violence in the US.
In several cases, the event on Friday appears to be indicative of how a fit of rage, combined with widespread gun possession, might result in a high collateral toll.
According to media sources, it all started when a woman was driving on the 55 Freeway with her young boy, Aiden Leos, in the back seat.
After one vehicle seemingly cut off another in what police described as a case of road rage, someone fired a single shot from behind, hitting the back of the Leos car and piercing Aiden’s back.
“Mommy, my tummy hurts!” Aiden reportedly cried, as his panicked mother quickly pulled over.
Aiden was taken to the hospital by an off-duty police officer who attempted CPR, but he was pronounced dead.
“It was an isolated road-rage attack,” California state patrolman Florentino Olivera told the Los Angeles Times.
During the investigation, police shut down the busy 55 Freeway for several hours. They’re searching for a white sedan with a male and female passenger, according to them.
According to Washington police chief Robert Contee, a family party was gathered on a sidewalk laughing when a man on an electric scooter roared by.
Witnesses claim that when the woman yelled at the man to calm down, he came to a halt, put on a black mask, and opened fire, seriously injuring both the woman and her 5-year-old son.
Contee said police are looking for a 26-year-old homeless man.
Last year, gun crime in the United States increased dramatically, including both mass killings and less-publicized events involving family members or associates.
As tension levels climbed and the presidential election loomed at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, gun sales soared. Overall, the year 2020 was one of the most brutal in recent memory in the United States.
So far this year, 119 children aged 11 and under have died in gun violence, according to the Gun Violence Archive website.
