Florida toddler Aiden Michael McClendon died following injuries he sustained in a drive-by shooting on Friday night.
The 22-month-old was seated in a car that was struck by multiple rounds of gunfire around 6:10 p.m. in Jacksonville that night. According to authorities, McClendon was hit at least three times in the upper body. His family transported him to UF Health Jacksonville with critical injuries, but he did not survive the night.
“The car with the child, his mother and grandmother inside was in front of a home, which was also hit by bullets. The child was the only person hit by bullets in the shooting,” WOKV reports.
Jacksonville Sheriff Mike Williams announced that business leaders have quickly put together $20,000 as a reward for information leading to the arrest of the person or people responsible for the murder, while Mayor Lenny Curryannounced Saturday that he recently asked the City Council to take $500,000 out of anti-crime effort the “Jacksonville Journey” to help state officials pay for police overtime.
Lt. George Grant stated, “We just know of the white vehicle fleeing the area. We are trying to locate any witnesses right now, because we need to get these dirt bags off the street.”
Detectives believe the shooting was gang-related.
SOURCE: WOKV | VIDEO CREDIT: Inform | PHOTO CREDIT: Getty
