Police: 4-year-old girl fatally shot in NW Miami-Dade

Miami-Dade police say girl shot in upper part of her body

MIAMI-DADE, Fla. – Police say a 4-year-old girl has died after she was shot in the upper part of her body early Saturday evening in Miami-Dade.

The Miami-Dade Police Department said the shooting occurred after 6 p.m. at 12015 NW 20th Avenue.

According to police, the girl was shot while she was inside a white Mercedes Benz with some other kids.

"Someone called my daughter and told her she got shot and we're going to the hospital," said Sonya Wheelers, the girl's godmother.

Wheelers was among the many relatives who were gathered at the scene. One person collapsed after hearing about the girl's condition.

The girl was airlifted to the Ryder Trauma Center at Jackson Memorial Hospital where she was later pronounced dead by police.

"We will be looking at who this firearm belonged to, where this firearm was in the vehicle at the time, along with who was present when this child was shot," said Roy Rutland of Miami-Dade police.

Police believe the gunshot was fired from within the vehicle, which had been parked in the driveway of the northwest Miami-Dade home. It was not moving at the time.

WPLG-TV confirmed there were other kids in the car when the shooting happened.

Investigators are looking into the possibility that a child may have accidentally pulled the trigger.

"Obviously those kids will be interviewed as well, and that is a very, very important component to this investigation as well," said Rutland.

This shooting has been described as a delicate investigation because of the ages of the children involved. The state attorney's office are assisting with those interviews.

Police believe the gun was being stored in the car. It's too early to tell if any charges will be filed.