14-year-old girl killed while washing dishes
MEMPHIS, Tennessee (KTRK) -- Blue lights flickered outside a Memphis home, while police inside tried to put the pieces together.
Detectives said someone pulled up to the home and opened fire, shooting and killing the homeowner's 14-year-old granddaughter inside washing dishes.
The teen's classmates told WREG she was a member of their school's pom squad.
Neighbors felt sick to their stomach when they heard the news.
"Those bullets don't have a name. They can go anywhere," neighbor Corey Parker said.
It is unclear who shot into the home and why, and if the teen was the intended target.
"She should be able to play and live her life out. All of them should," Parker said.
Just hours before this fatal shooting, another teenager was shot.
Police said a 16-year-old boy was shot in Memphis around 3 p.m. At last check, he was in critical condition with his shooter still on the loose.
Unfortunately, this has been a story far too common in Memphis recently. Some of the crimes remain unsolved because investigators say they are not getting the information they need from the community.
"Community activists are starting to step up because they're saying there's a problem. There is a problem," Ladell Beamon said.
Beamon is with Heal the Hood. He works with kids to keep them out of trouble and on the right track. He says today's culture - from music to cell phones - takes some of the blame.
"It's just not our kids, it's on adults too that are becoming desensitized," Beamon said.
