NORFOLK, Va. — Norfolk police are investigating after a 7-year-old girl was shot and seriously hurt.
Around 10:30 p.m. Tuesday, dispatchers received a call for a gunshot disturbance in the 800 block of East Princess Anne Road.
Police found the child near Goff Street suffering from a gunshot wound.
The girl was taken to CHKD. Police said she's in serious but stable condition.
Detectives said the child was shot while sitting outside a residence after gunfire was heard.
13News Now spoke to a family member of the girl Thursday. The woman says the 7-year-old was playing just feet from the apartment she lives in when it happened.
"I was told that she didn't know she was hit at first until she started saying, 'It burns, it burns!' and was jumping up and down," the woman said. "And that's when they looked and saw she was hit in her stomach."
The family said the sound of gunfire is all too common at this particular apartment complex, which may be why the girl made a stunning comment as she was taken away in the ambulance.
"My daughter told me she said, 'Why did they shoot me? They need to put the guns down,'" the family member said. "That's just sad for a 7-year-old to say that."
There were no other injuries reported, according to police.
Norfolk police have not said if anyone has been arrested or is being questioned in connection to the case. They're asking anyone with information about what happened to call 1-888-LOCK-U-UP or submit a tip through the P3Tips mobile app.