10-year-old shot while sleeping in Flint home; police say not the intended target

WatchTrump Montana midterm rally remarksPresident Trump is expected to deliver remarks at a midterm rally at Majestic Valley Arena

0CommentShare storySharetopics: Flint10-year-oldDrive-by shootingGun violencePolice investigationSixth WardTerence GreenCrime StoppersFLINT, Mich. – A 10-year-old boy was shot while sleeping in his bed after a bullet tore through a wall and hit him during an early-morning shooting in Flint, police said. The child was hospitalized as investigators searched for whoever fired the shots.

The shooting happened about 2:30 a.m. on Sloan Street in Flint’s Sixth Ward. Flint Police Chief Terence Green said the child was not the intended target and that the case remains under investigation.

“My reaction within the setting anger, frustration” Green said. “But that doesn't deter me from continuing to do my job.”

Green said no one was in custody, but detectives were following up on leads.

Asked whether neighbors should be concerned their homes could be next, Green said, “Yeah, the community always is. I'm part of this community also. And I have concerns. I don't want my house with bullets going through my front window, my picture window, my living room, and that's what's been happening.”

The shooting is one of multiple drive-by shootings in Flint in recent weeks, Green said. He said the department is using “holistic approaches and community engagement” and working with partner agencies to combat the violence.

“I'm confident in the plan. The City of Flint Police Department is not doing this alone on its own,” Green said. “We have many partners that we're relying on, including the community. If you compare our plan, which was established back in the year 2021 when we recorded 67 homicides, since that time, we've reduced the number of homicides by 43%.”

Police data published Oct. 11 shows Flint has recorded 35 homicides this year, up nearly 10% compared with 32 deaths last year.

“We have to adjust our plan according to these stats,” Green said. “So we're definitely going to put all our efforts and all of our resources, technology, anything we can to break this cycle is current cycle of violence.”

Flint City Councilwoman Tonya Burns, who represents the Sixth Ward, called the shooting “a sad day” for the city.

“I want children to wake up from their beds and go to school in the morning,” Burns said. “I don't want them to go to get up and go to the hospital to emergency because they've been a gunshot victim. Another 10 year old is a gunshot victim in the city of Flint and this is a sad day.”

Burns said gun violence has become a constant in many neighborhoods.

“It's not normal to go to bed with gunshots. It's not normal to wake up to gunshots. It's not normal,” Burns said. “And this is the soundscape of the city of Flint and almost every neighborhood has gunshots.”

Police asked anyone with information about the shooting to call the Flint Police Department or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-422-5245.