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14-year-old shot and killed in Tacoma
Police are still looking for a suspect after a 14-year-old was shot and killed in broad daylight
TACOMA, Wash. - A 14-year-old girl was killed in a shooting Wednesday afternoon in Tacoma.
According to Tacoma Police, the shooting happened at South 19th and Martin Luther King Jr. Way at about noon.
Police said young people were in a car near 19th and MLK Jr. Way when someone shot at them. A 14-year-old girl was struck and died at the scene. Her mother identified the victim as Iyana Ussery. She was too distraught to speak about her daughter, but told FOX 13 she wanted to share her story down the road.
"All of a sudden bullets come through the building. The bullet comes through shatters the glass, the window," said Lewis Rudd, the co-founder of Ezell's Famous Chicken. "The last shooting, the shooting before that. That’s when it’s enough. The one that happened today, that 14-year-old kid should not have been killed today."
Ezell's was hit with several bullets while people were inside.
Rudd says the business will be closed for an unknown period of time-- he said the loss of the child's life has become a breaking point for him and his team.
"This is like the third, fourth shooting in this area within the last probably six weeks," he said.
On Thursday, Tacoma Police issued a statement responding to the shooting:
"Yesterday, a tragedy struck the City of Tacoma. The murder of a child rips at the very foundation of our community. We grieve, as Tacoma grieves, for the family, and at the same time, must come together to find a path forward.
"The Tacoma Police Department stands firm in our fight against violent crime. Everyone deserves a safe place to call home, and no child should fear their community, nor should any parent have to bury a child. My department will not waiver in the pursuit of the apprehension of those responsible for this heinous act.
"I ask the community to support this family and each other. The Tacoma Police Department will never rest as we pursue safety and security for the City of Tacoma."
Detectives and forensic investigators were collecting evidence. There is no description of the shooter or shooters.
No further details have been released. If you have any information on the shooting or the suspect, call 911 or Crime Stoppers of Puget Sound. Your Crime Stoppers tip can be anonymous--give them a call at 1-800-222-TIPS or submit them here.
This is the 25th homicide in Tacoma this year. In all of last year, there were 33 homicides in the city.
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This is a developing story, and will be updated.