7-Year-Old Girl Was Asleep in Bed When Stray Bullet from Drive-By Shooting Struck Her in the Head, Say Police

A 7-year-old girl is fighting for her life following a “drive-by shooting” that resulted in a stray bullet going through her home and striking her in the right side of her brain while she was sleeping in South Carolina, according to police.

The Pageland Police Department shared on social media on Sunday, June 1 that the 7-year-old, identified as Skylar Baker by ABC News — was in critical condition after a drive-by shooting occurred at around 1:17 a.m. local time in Brewer Circle.

Police said they arrived on the scene to find the 7-year-old with a “gunshot wound,” and said that she was “airlifted” to the hospital. 

Police noted on social media that they have not yet been able to make any arrests in connection to the shooting, and are asking for help from the community to identify and capture the suspects. In a statement, police said they hoped someone would come forward with “answers as to who was involved in this case.”

“The 7-year-old did not deserve this careless act of violence. We are heartbroken that this little girl is suffering due to the actions of someone who had no regard for the life of others,” police said in their statement.

The Pageland Police Department told PEOPLE it had no additional comment on the case.

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Police told Queen City News that someone drove by Brewer Circle firing shots. Baker’s mother, Essence Chambers, told ABC News that the bullet went through their home and struck the 7-year-old, hitting her brain while she was sleeping. She said her daughter is still in critical condition and remains on a ventilator as of Tuesday, June 3.

One of Baker’s neighbors, Melissa Massey, told WSOC-TV that drive-bys were “unheard of” in the area. “Drive-bys? Maybe [a] shooting. Maybe, but drive-bys, that’s crazy,” she told the outlet.

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Essence described her daughter to ABC News as a “ball of energy” and “happy child” and asked for “everybody to keep praying for her.” Her sister Kiara Chambers described Baker to Queen City News as someone who was “so full of life” and who was “loved by everyone.”

“She didn’t deserve this, nobody deserves this,” Kiara told the outlet.

During a press conference on Monday, June 1, Pageland Police Department Chief Dean Short described the incident as a “terrible thing, especially in a small community,” and called for the community to “take a stand against this type of violence,” per ABC News.

Police are asking that anyone with information on the incident or the suspect contact police at 843-672-6437.