Here's the latest information on the shooting. Some details have changed as police continue to get updates on the case.
An eight-year-old girl is recovering tonight after being shot in the stomach while sleeping on the couch. It happened on Fourth Street and Thomas Avenue in Fresno just before 4am. Officers say the suspects are Hmong gang members and the intended targets were the victim's older brothers. More than a dozen shots were fired at an empty car, parked directly in front of the home. Bullets passed through the car and into the home, hitting the innocent victim once in the stomach.
A woman who lives next door says she woke up to the sound of gunfire. When she went outside, she saw the victim being taken to the hospital.
"My heart went out. I hugged the parents, the mother and daughter, and told her I'll pray for her kids," said Patricia Cabras, a neighbor.
Neighbors are heart-broken that a young girl is suffering.
"That little girl has to endure all that pain," said Sarah Johnson, who lives around corner.
Police are labeling the act as gang violence.
"The older brothers of the gunshot victim are gang members and they believe they were the intended targets," said Captain Randy Dobbins of the Fresno Police Department.
Dobbins says the older brothers now feel tremendously guilty. 13 people were inside the home at the time of the crime. Police are still investigating and say they have strong leads on suspects.
"We're confident we're going to catch the shooters, the people responsible, and they're going to go away to prison for a very long time," said Dobbins.
If you have any information, you're asked to call the Fresno Police Department at 559-621-7000.
##########