(PAGELAND, SC) — A 7-year-old South Carolina girl remains in critical condition after she was shot while sleeping in her own home over the weekend, according to the Pageland Police Department.
At approximately 1:17 a.m. on Sunday, police responded to shots being fired into the Pageland home, hitting the girl — identified as Skylar Baker — in the head, officials said.
Skylar received first aid at the scene and was flown to an area hospital with “life-threatening injuries,” according to police.
Police said the incident, which they described as a “careless act of violence,” appears to have been a drive-by shooting and the suspect remains at large. The bullet went through the house and struck Skylar in the right side of her brain, her mother, Essence Chambers, told ABC News.
As of Tuesday, Skylar remains in critical condition and is on a ventilator, according to Chambers.
Skylar, described by her mother as a “ball of energy” and “happy child,” now has a plate inside her head and will soon undergo a craniotomy, Chambers said.
“Before all of this, she was completely healthy,” Chambers said. “I want everybody to keep praying for her.”
In a press release, local police expressed their hope that “someone will come forward with answers as to who was involved in this case.”
“We are heartbroken that this little girl is suffering due to the actions of someone who had no regard for the life of others. Our thoughts and prayers continue to go out to the family,” they said in Monday’s release.
Speaking at a press conference on Monday, Pageland Police Department Chief Dean Short called the shooting a “terrible thing, especially in a small community.”
“What matters is we come together, support one another and take a stand against this type of violence,” Short said.
Melissa Massey, a neighbor of Skylar, told ABC Charlotte affiliate WSOC that drive-by shootings in Pageland are “unheard of.”
Officials said anyone with any information on the incident or the suspect to contact police at 843-672-6437.
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