It could have been so much worse. But it's plenty bad enough.
Early yesterday morning, Jazmine Ramos, eleven, was shot outside her home on 47th Avenue between Race and High streets in the Elyria Swansea neighborhood — the apparent victim of a stray bullet.
Fortunately, Jazmine was struck in the leg rather than another more vulnerable part of her body and is expected to make a complete recovery.
Meanwhile, reports suggest that witnesses know who fired the shot — likely someone attending a party down the street. But no one is talking.
The first official news of the incident came via the following Denver Police Department tweet:
ALERT: #DPD investigating a shooting overnight of 11 yr old girl shot in the leg in the area of 47th a& Race Non life threatening Inj 1of2
— Denver Police Dept. (@DenverPolice) August 16, 2015
CBS4 used the 47th and Race address cited by police in its report, while 9News — the station that identified Jazmine and spoke with her mom, Mayra — puts the location of the incident closer to 47th and High.Here's an interactive graphic showing the area near the scene. If you have problems seeing the image, click "View on Google Maps."
Jazmine was being dropped at her home by her uncle when she was hit — and the hour was certainly late.
The shooting took place at around 1:45 a.m. on Sunday, August 16.
The CBS4 piece doesn't take a position about whether the shooting of Jazmine was accidental or intentional.
But 9News refers to a stray bullet and points out that a party was taking place down the street.
Whatever the case, Mayra Ramos clearly feels that the gun play was wholly unnecessary, particularly in light of the unintended consequences.
"You never know who you could hit — innocent little kids and stuff," she tells the station. "it's not their fault that they're fighting. If they want to handle their situation, they can do it in a different way and not hurt anybody."
9News suggests that the identity of the person who fired the shot may be known to people who were on the scene.
Thus far, however, none of them has shared details with the DPD.
As such, there are no official suspects in the case.
The department encourages anyone with information about the shooting to contact Metro Denver Crime Stoppers.
The number is 720-913-STOP (7867).
Look below to see the aforementioned CBS4 package on the shooting.
Send your story tips to the author, Michael Roberts.