18-month-old among others injured — On Saturday night, a shooting in Oxford, North Carolina, injured six people, including two children, an 18-month-old and a 10-year-old.
The victims ranged in age from 18 months to 64 years old, according to a news release from the Oxford Police Department. All were immediately hospitalized, including four who were transported by Life Flight to Duke University Hospital.
Four of the victims have been discharged, while two remain in the hospital
Oxford City Commissioner Bryan Cohn — who lives approximately three blocks from where the shooting occurred in the Piedmont Avenue area — told CBS News, “The aftermath of that was not like anything I could ever describe.”
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“The Life Flight Helicopters looked like something out of a movie,” said the commissioner, adding that it was a “chaotic scene for a small town of just under 9,000.” The six-square-mile town is the county seat of Granville County, about 30 miles from Durham.
The shooting occurred during a celebration of life for a community member who died recently in a car accident, with a crowd of more than 100 people gathered. A memorial service had been held earlier in the day.
After he heard the gunshots, Cohn rushed his children inside for safety. Based on his own experience and the frequency of the fire, Cohn believes the shooting was carried out with multiple weapons.
“It was nothing I’ve ever heard before, and I’ve been around guns my entire life,” Cohn said.
Cohn stressed to CBS News that the quick actions of the Oxford Police and Fire Departments saved the lives of the victims, calling the first responders on the scene “absolute heroes” who went “above and beyond to secure the scene.”
“They got them to safety without hesitation, and that speaks volumes of a small town.”
As of right now, the motive of the crime is still unknown, and no arrests have been made.
The Criminal Division of the Oxford Police Department and the State Bureau of Investigation are conducting an investigation into the shooting, and anyone with relevant information is asked to contact Sgt. Det Kevin Dickerson at the Oxford Police Department at (919) 693-3161, or Crime Stoppers at (919) 693-3100.
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