re: Shooting at Riverchase Galleria - Child and 3 others shot -confirmed

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A suspected shootout inside the Riverchase Galleria in Hoover Friday afternoon killed an 8-year-old boy, who was shot in the head, and injured three others, police confirmed Friday night.

The gunfire erupted at 3:18 p.m. on the first floor of the state’s largest mall. Among the injured was 8-year-old Royta. His mother did not want her name used, but spoke about what happened.

One other juvenile was wounded, along with two adults, police confirmed at an 8:45 p.m. Friday press conference.

She said she and her three children and the childrens’ stepfather were waiting to get into Children’s Place, a child’s clothing store. Because of COVID-19 precautions, the store only allows a certain number of people inside at a time. The mother said three people had just come out but since there were more of them, they had to wait for one more person to exit.

All of the sudden, shots rang out. “We heard the gunshots and I grabbed them and we hit the ground,‘' she said. “When we all got up, he was the only one who didn’t get up.”

She said Royta just finished the second grade at Jonesboro Elementary in Bessemer. “That’s my baby, my firstborn,‘' she said. Family members said he is energetic and always smiling. He has aspirations to become a rapper.

“To the people who did this, if I could say anything to them, it’s I don’t care about justice or anything like that,‘' she said. “I wouldn’t say I’m religious, I would say I’m more spiritual, and the person who did this is going to have to answer for that whether it’s to whoever they pray to or if it’s the streets.”

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