Girl, 13, shot dead in shopping mall fight was just a bystander in the wrong place at wrong time, cops say
A 13-year-old girl was in the wrong place at the wrong time when she was fatally shot as she walked past a fight that broke out in a shopping mall food court in Washington state, cops said.
The young victim has been identified as Jayda Woods Johnson.
The suspect – a 16-year-old boy from Edmonds, Washington, is believed to have fired a single round following a fight with another group of teenagers in the Alderwood Mall food court.
Johnson, who was walking by the quarrel with a friend, was struck by the stray bullet. She was rushed to the hospital but later died.
The scene involved four to five teenage boys who approached two other boys — resulting in a physical fight and the eventual shooting, according to police.
Police in Lynwood, about 17 miles north of Seattle, said the boy’s mother turned him in.
“He will be booked into jail for Murder. The gun has not yet been recovered,” cops said.
The mall was put on lockdown for a short period following the fatal shooting.
Police do not know whether the fight was gang-related or details about the firearm used.
