Police: Girl killed, 2 boys wounded in 2 drive-by shootings

STATESVILLE, N.C. (AP) — A 9-year-old girl was killed and two other children were wounded in a pair of drive-by shootings that happened blocks apart on Monday night in Statesville, according to police.

News outlets report that the first shooting happened just before 7 p.m. as the girl and a 7-year-old boy were playing in the yard outside a home. Responding officers found two children with gunshot wounds, Statesville police said in a release. Both were taken to a hospital, but police said the girl died. The boy is still hospitalized, but police didn’t release details of his condition.

Officers were still at the scene of the first shooting heard gunfire around 8:30 p.m. and discovered another shooting three blocks away. Officers arrived to find a 10-year-old boy with a non-life threatening gunshot wound, police said.

Police have not said whether they believe the the shootings are related.