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Councilwoman: Children afraid of getting shot after Henderson incident injured two

Two children are recovering after neighbors said they were injured Sunday in an apparent drive-by shooting in Henderson.

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HENDERSON, N.C. — Two children are recovering after neighbors said they were injured Sunday in an apparent drive-by shooting in Henderson.

The Henderson Police Department declined to release any information, including whether or not the community should be concerned for their safety following the incident. Neighbors and community leaders said they are frustrated by the incident, which happened in broad daylight.

Two neighbors said the children were playing basketball at Owen Davis Park near their home when the incident happened.

“I heard the shooting. I was sitting in my living room and I heard about 10 shots,” said neighbor Debura Alston. “Two little innocent boys got shot. It’s a shame how easy these guns are to get to.”

After Alston heard the shots, neighbor Ronald Jackson said he saw one of the shooting victims running away from the park as he looked for help.

“I looked at one kid and he was shot in the arm,” Jackson said.

Henderson City Council member Melissa Elliot said the police chief contacted her after the incident and asked her to help find a solution to gun violence in the community.

“We’re looking at the Boston cease fire method to do an initiative for people to drop their weapons,” Elliot said.

Elliot represents the ward where the incident took place and works closely with youth there. She said the incident has robbed many children of their innocence.

“They did not want to walk home today. I took four loads of children back home in my car because they were afraid of getting shot,” she said.

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