Gunshots fired into Florida home, killing 12-year-old

A 12-year-old girl died this week after shots were fired into her Florida home.

Police in Lake City, Florida, said officers found the girl suffering from a gunshot wound on Thursday night.

EMS and officers administered first aid but the girl died from her injuries. Police said she was sitting on a couch inside the home when shots were fired.

Video from ABC Jacksonville affiliate WJXX-TV showed where bullet holes had pierced the home.

Police have not announced any arrests in connection to the shooting and have asked the public for any information on a suspect.

“The loss of a young life is an indescribable pain that affects not only the immediate family but also the entire school community,” Columbia County Schools said in a statement Friday following the shooting.

Counseling services will be made available to students “to provide guidance and emotional support to those affected by this heartbreaking loss. We will continue to provide updates and resources to the school community as we work through this tragedy together,” the school district added.

News of this latest shooting underscores how gun violence continues to impact children and families across the country.

More than 4,000 children and teenagers have been shot this year, according to data published by the Gun Violence Archive (GVA). At least 6,170 children and teenagers were shot in 2022, according to GVA.

Separately, a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention analysis this week found that gun-related deaths were again the leading cause of death among children and adolescents in 2021, surpassing motor vehicles, drug overdoses and cancer.

“In the operating room and across our communities, we continue to see an increase in gun violence among children,” said Dr. Chethan Sathya, a pediatric trauma surgeon at Northwell Health in New York.