9-year-old girl dead after Ohio drive-by shooting
SILVERTON, Ohio (WKRC) — A 9-year-old Ohio girl was shot and killed inside a home in a drive-by shooting on Monday night.
Police said it happened at 11:40 p.m. at a house in Silverton. The Hamilton County Coroner's Office identified her as Da'Myiah Barton-Pickens. According to authorities, the girl suffered a single gunshot wound and was initially taken the hospital, where she died a short time later.
The sheriff's office confirmed two people have been taken into custody for questioning.
Neighbors on Plainfield Road are still in disbelief that another child has been killed due to gun violence.
"You know, when I think about it, I was crying this morning talking to the mailman," said neighbor Nicole Blohm. "It's just so terrible and when it hits close to home, I still think about those three little boys that were murdered."
At least two dozen bullet holes can be found in the home. The sheriff's office said it is currently conducting ballistics testing on weapons as part of the investigation.
Barton-Pickens was a student at the Alliance Academy of Cincinnati. A spokesperson from the school released a statement Wednesday afternoon:
As a school community, we are grieving the loss of one of our own. As you can imagine this is hitting us hard. Please join us in keeping the family in your thoughts and prayers during this difficult time. We are grateful for local law enforcement officials, who are diligently continuing to investigate the matter."She was also a cheerleader with the West Side Panthers Youth Organization. The organization's president said she was a competitive free spirit. Her coaches said she was so full of energy and was often bringing the team together by making TikToks.
Blohm is a grandmother herself and can't even begin to put herself in this family's shoes.
"It is just so sad, I can't. I can't even begin to imagine if my granddaughter had been murdered, how I would feel, there's no way to really describe it," Blohm said. "It's just shocking, the things that are happening in Cincinnati, Ohio. It really is, they're shocking and very scary."
Da'Myiah's family has created a GoFundMe to help with funeral expenses.
The page says it was created by Da'Myiah's mom. She wrote, "My daughter was robbed from her life, I want to send her home the right way, anything will help."
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