9-year-old girl shot in drive-by while sleeping on couch at friend's home

30 shots fired into Orlando home

ORLANDO, Fla. – A 9-year-old girl was shot early Tuesday while sleeping on a couch at a family friend's home in Orlando, according to deputies.

At least 30 rounds from three guns were fired from a car into the home in the 1300 block of 22nd Street, Orange County sheriff's deputies said. The homeowner fired six shots in return, according to deputies.

The girl was shot in the leg by gunfire from the assailants and was taken to a hospital, according to deputies. She will spend the night in the hospital, but she is in stable condition. The girl's 5-year-old brother and four adults were also inside the home at the time of the
shooting, but no one else was injured.

"This happened in darkness. Obviously, we're gravely concerned about this level of violence in this neighborhood," Orange County sheriff's spokeswoman Jane Watrel said. "I believe the homeowner was acting in protection. So, at this point, the homeowner is cooperating."

"It's senseless, man. Senseless," neighbor Charles Howard said. "It's sad that it's a 9-year-old victim involved in this."

Howard said it's not a bad neighborhood.

"It's just some guys that make it bad for the rest of us," he said.

"I've seen the hookers get picked up in my front yard, drug deals going down in my front yard and across the street," said Bonnie Hyberger, a neighbor who's lived behind the home that was targeted for 15 years. "No one cares, no one is doing anything."

A large portion of 22nd Street was blocked off as detectives interviewed witnesses and processed the crime scene, which was littered with numerous shell casings and evidence markers.

Deputies said there's no information about the shooters.

"No one saw them, so we're going to have to assume that people came in a car, got out and opened fire," Watrel said.

An investigation is continuing.

It's not over," said Hyberger. "It's not over back here. These people cannot even stay here tonight. They can't stay in that house, same thing's gonna happen again."

The children's mother was out of town when the shooting occurred but returned to be with her daughter, deputies said.

Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to call Crimeline at 800-423-TIPS.


About the Author:

Erik von Ancken anchors and reports for News 6 and is a two-time Emmy award-winning journalist in the prestigious and coveted "On-Camera Talent" categories for both anchoring and reporting.