Fayetteville family demands answers after 12-year-old girl shot at carnival

A Fayetteville family is pleading for justice and answers after their 12-year-old daughter was shot at a local carnival, leaving her hospitalized and fighting for her life.

Adrianna Bethea, a sixth-grader and cheerleader, was enjoying an evening with her family at a carnival on March 22 when gunfire erupted, striking her in the back.

First responders rushed to the 6900 block of Cliffdale Road. At the time, officers shared that Adrianna was in critical condition. The girl remains hospitalized weeks later, and her condition remains a source of deep concern for her family, who has to travel from the Fayetteville area to visit Bethea at the pediatric intensive care unit  at UNC Chapel Hill.

The family has created a GoFundMe to help pay for the girl's health expenses. 

"We don't even know if she'll ever be able to do those things again," said Andrea Baker, Adrianna's aunt. "It's just heartbreaking to see. It’s been lots of tears, but also lots of prayers. The family, the community has rallied around us."

Baker told WRAL News that Adrianna is breathing with the assistance of a ventilator. While her family says she can communicate minimally with her hands and uses sign language, a skill she recently picked up, the extent of her recovery remains uncertain.

"If you tap her and you tap her arm or her hand, she'll look at you," Baker shared. "She makes her little heart signals."

As Adrianna battles for her life, her family is grappling with unanswered questions. They are desperate to know who fired the shots and are pleading that anyone with information come forward.

"At this point, it's been a little over a week," Baker said. "Someone knows, and we are just hoping that someone comes forward and gives some information that leads to an arrest."

The shooting has shaken the Fayetteville community, and Adrianna’s family is calling for swift action to bring those responsible to justice.

Anyone with information can reach out directly to the lead detective at 910-322-8325. Crime Stoppers is offering a reward up to $2,000.