Update: 21-Month-Old Girl Struck in Hail of Bullets, Police Say

TAMPA, FL — A 21-month-old Tampa girl was hospitalized following a Wednesday afternoon shooting at her home on Hernandez Court.

According to the Tampa Police Department, officers received a call about shots fired in the 400 block of Hernandez Court around 12:25 p.m. Nov. 16. When they arrived on scene, they found Aaliyah Avila suffering from a gunshot wound to her right thigh.

As the child was taken to a local hospital with non-life threatening injuries, officers began their investigation.

According to the agency, the girl’s father, Eduardo Avila, 24, appears to have been the intended target. Prior to the shooting, police say Eduardo was outside his apartment when men approached and made threatening comments.

“Avila went into his apartment and shortly after he closed the door, an estimated 15 shots were fired at the front door and in the area of the front of the house,” an email from police said. “It appears that one of the bullets went through the front door, ricocheted off a wall and struck Avila’s daughter.”

Police say there were four people in the apartment at the time of the shooting. The other two people were Raneisha Simmons, 24, Aaliyah’s mother, and another child. No other injuries have been reported.

No arrests have been made in the case. No further information is being released as the investigation continues.

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