Girl shot while riding with father on US 1 in Cary, police looking for suspect

A 5-year-old girl shot in the knee while riding in a car with her father is expected to be OK, police said. 

According to Cary police, the call came through shortly after 6 p.m. on Monday evening. Police said the shooting is a result of a road rage incident that started on U.S. Highway 64.

The shooting happened as both vehicles exited the ramp onto U.S. Highway 1 North. Police said the girl was taken to a nearby hospital where she had surgery. Police said the girl is making progress in  her recovery.

WRAL News spoke with the child’s mother, Gina. She said her daughter was headed in for another surgery Monday night, but was in good spirits. The bullet hit the girl in the leg. Doctors are hopeful she’ll be able to make a full recovery. 

According to Gina, her husband spotted the shooter’s car, and another car, weaving back and forth. 

“He was attacking another car, trying to run her off the road,” Gina said.

According to Gina, the suspect then threw something out the window, which damaged the other car, before hitting her husband’s vehicle. 

Later, on U.S. 1, her husband caught up to the suspect’s car. Gina said he rolled down his window to yell at the suspect, when the suspect pulled out a gun and fired a single shot. 

“They found the bullet in her sippy cup,” Gina said.

 A GoFundMe was started to help the family.  

Sky 5 flew over the scene on Monday evening where several law enforcement officers and first responders responded to the incident.

Cary's Mayor Harold Weinbrecht released a statement following the shooting. 

“It is always tragic to hear about innocent people getting hurt in crimes, especially young children," Weinbrecht said. "My thoughts and prayers will be with the family."

Anyone with information about the shooter is asked to contact Cary police. Police said the suspect was driving a silver 1990s model Hyundai Elantra.

Anyone with information about what happened is asked to call the Cary Police Department at (919) 469-4012 or Cary CrimeStoppers at (919) 460-4636. Calls can remain anonymous.

In light of the shooting, Cary police are asking drivers to limit tension on the road by following several safety guidelines.

• Do not engage. Avoid eye contact, honking, or retaliatory gestures. Engaging can escalate the situation.
• Keep your distance. Change lanes or slow down to give the aggressive driver space to move on.
• Avoid stopping. If you believe you're being followed, drive to a public location such as a police or fire station—never to your home.
• Call 911. If you feel threatened or unsafe, call 911 and provide details about the location, vehicle description, and direction of travel.
• Be a good witness. If it’s safe to do so, note details such as license plate, make, model, and behavior. Do not put yourself at risk to collect information.

AAA spokesperson Tiffany Wright said it's important to keep a cool demeanor on the road. 

"I think the big thing is just to not let things like this escalate, diffuse them," Wright said. "And by all means, if you feel like you're being chased, or you see this being an incident, you know, call 911 of course."

AAA says road rage incidents tend to increase in the summer.

There were multiple shootings involving kids in cars in June. On Saturday, a child was grazed in the leg after a car was shot at in Goldsboro. On June 8, an 11-year-old passenger was shot in Durham.