8-Year-Old Boy Killed During Alabama Mall Shooting
An Alabama family is currently mourning the loss of their little boy who was killed Friday afternoon. According to CNN, 8-year-old Royta Giles Jr. was killed in a shooting at the Riverchase Galleria in Birmingham, Alabama. Hoover Police Chief Nick Derzis said a girl and two adults were also injured and hospitalized after the incident.
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While police did not give a motive for the shooting, Derzis said police are working on promising leads. However, it was not shared if they had identified any suspects. ”This is certainly a tragic situation when you have an innocent child who gets caught in the middle of an altercation between others,” Derzis said.
Giles Jr. was a student at Jonesboro Elementary School in Bessemer, who had recently completed the second grade. Hoover Mayor Frank Brocato said he visited with the boy’s parents Friday evening:
“This was just a very senseless tragedy and of course they are devastated by this,” Brocato said. He asked residents in the city to pray for the family.”
Hoover police asked anyone who was in the mall and witnessed the shooting to call authorities. The Riverchase Galleria will remain closed Sunday, July 5th, according to the shopping center’s public relations spokesperson.
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