A 12-year-old child was in the hospital Wednesday morning after he was shot while playing in an alley near his backyard in Pomona Tuesday night, Pomona police said.
The boy told police he was in an alleyway in the 800 block of East La Verne Avenue when he heard a gunshot and was struck by a bullet around 8 p.m. Tuesday, Pomona police said in a statement.
His parents drove him to Pomona Valley Hospital, and he was airlifted to a trauma center in stable condition, according to police.
Police were notified about the shooting once the child was at the hospital.
Investigators spent several hours in the neighborhood looking for witnesses, bullet casings, and other evidence in the alleyway and nearby homes.
Police said the child, his mother and the rest of his family were not cooperating and would not talk to police Wednesday.
Neighbors said they did not hear gunshots around the time of the shooting, and only realized something had happened once they spotted detectives driving up to the alley.
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"I don't think nobody just rolled up and shot him, somebody had to know something," said one neighbor, Prentiss Pryor. "Nobody wants to run their mouth because there's repurcussions to that ... But for him to get shot, it was like, the parents probably took it to heart."
There was no description of the gunman Wednesday, but the investigation was ongoing.
Detectives were trying to convince the child and his family to come forward with any information about the shooting.
Anyone with information about the shooting was encouraged to call Pomona police at 909-620-2085.
