Sanford hit by two drive-by shootings injuring three teens
Sanford police are searching for suspects in two separate drive-by shootings that left three teens injured just hours apart on Monday — and bolstering resources to prevent additional incidents.
The occupants of a dark-colored sedan shot a 16-year-old boy in the leg on Monday afternoon while he was walking on 9th Street and Holly Avenue in Sanford, SPD said. The boy ran into a nearby family member’s home who drove him to a hospital just after 3 p.m.
Just two miles away, bullets from a red SUV struck two 17-year-old girls just before 7 p.m. while they were standing in front of their home on Scott Drive, SPD said. Officers discovered one of the teen girls lying chest down in a pool of her own blood with a gunshot wound to her head. The girl was alert and breathing when she was rushed to the hospital but is in critical condition.
The other teen girl was grazed by a stray bullet and suffered only minor injuries, SPD said.
In response to the shootings, the Sanford Police Department has increased patrol staffing levels and is conducting enforcement targeting areas associated with the investigations, the agency said Tuesday.
“We are exhausting all efforts in investigating these shootings and preventing any additional shootings,” Deputy Chief Trekelle Perkins said in a statement on Tuesday. “I can’t emphasize enough that stopping this violence cannot be done by law enforcement alone. We need full cooperation from the victims and witnesses.”
It’s unclear if the two shootings are connected.
Investigators are asking anyone with information about these crimes to contact the Sanford Police Department or Crimeline at 800 423-TIPS (8477) or visit www.crimeline.org.
