8-year-old boy in medically induced coma following shooting, police say

By Kendall Lanier and Camille Furst, CNN

An 8-year-old boy is in a medically induced coma following a shooting in Cincinnati on Monday, according to police.

The boy’s mother, Marcella Thompson, told CNN affiliate WLWT, “He’s fighting so hard. He’s the strongest child I’ve ever seen. They told me my baby wasn’t going to make it through that day. My baby made it another day and another day.”

The child is one of four victims in a shooting on the 3200 block of McHenry Avenue Monday evening, CNN has previously reported.

The Cincinnati Police Department said a 6-year-old and an 18-year-old have been released from the hospital. A 7-year-old was uninjured, with a bullet only hitting his shoe.

CPD has not released the identities of the victims, a statement from CPD Chief Eliot Isaac said.

The shooter has been identified as Darius Harris Jr, 19. He has been charged with four counts of felonious assault. The investigation remains ongoing.

Thompson said, “we were supposed to go to church Sunday morning, instead we were at the hospital with our pastor praying over my baby that’s on a ventilator helping him to breathe.” She vowed to get justice for her child. “The law is coming and I’m not going to miss a court date.”