Antioch Police Identify 23-Year-Old as Suspect in Shooting of 11-Year-Old Girl
Police have identified Ryan Hardy, a 23-year-old suspect, as the individual responsible for shooting an 11-year-old girl who was riding with her family in a car. The incident occurred on Monday afternoon at an apartment complex in Antioch, where the girl suffered a head injury and was taken to hospital.
According to police, detectives identified Hardy as the prime suspect using a combination of video surveillance footage, witness statements, and forensic evidence. Authorities warned that Hardy should be considered armed and dangerous, and urged anyone with information about his whereabouts to contact 911 immediately.
Police also revealed that several individuals had assisted Hardy in evading capture, and those who knowingly aid him in the future will face arrest as accessories after the fact. The family of the injured girl was not identified as being targeted by Hardy.
The victim underwent treatment at Children's Hospital Oakland before being listed in stable condition. Police are urging anyone with information about the case to come forward. Detective John Cox can be contacted on 925-481-8147 or via email for further details.
In a separate statement, Lt Gary Lowther emphasized that the family was not the intended target of the shooting.
Police have identified Ryan Hardy, a 23-year-old suspect, as the individual responsible for shooting an 11-year-old girl who was riding with her family in a car. The incident occurred on Monday afternoon at an apartment complex in Antioch, where the girl suffered a head injury and was taken to hospital.
According to police, detectives identified Hardy as the prime suspect using a combination of video surveillance footage, witness statements, and forensic evidence. Authorities warned that Hardy should be considered armed and dangerous, and urged anyone with information about his whereabouts to contact 911 immediately.
Police also revealed that several individuals had assisted Hardy in evading capture, and those who knowingly aid him in the future will face arrest as accessories after the fact. The family of the injured girl was not identified as being targeted by Hardy.
The victim underwent treatment at Children's Hospital Oakland before being listed in stable condition. Police are urging anyone with information about the case to come forward. Detective John Cox can be contacted on 925-481-8147 or via email for further details.
In a separate statement, Lt Gary Lowther emphasized that the family was not the intended target of the shooting.
just saw this news and i'm still trying to process it... 23-year-old shoots 11-yr-old girl while she's on a car ride with her fam 
, can't even imagine what the mom and dad are going through right now 
. according to stats from the CDC, 1 in 5 children (21%) in the US experience some form of physical abuse or neglect each year... it's heartbreaking that this happened to a kid so young 
. did you know that most gun-related deaths in the US involve handguns? 
in fact, handguns are responsible for over 70% of all firearm-related homicides... something needs to change ASAP 
. btw, the average age of someone who commits a violent crime is around 25-30 yrs old... so while it's not great that this happened at 23, maybe we can prevent more tragedies in the future? 
. stats show that 1/4 of all juveniles with mental health issues are more likely to get involved in criminal activity... we need to do better supporting our young folks 
.
I don't think we should be demonizing an entire community just 'cause of a few individuals' actions... we gotta keep things in perspective and remember that everyone deserves a second chance 
my heart goes out to that little girl and her fam 
I dont understand how someone can do such a thing it's just not right 
and to think she's only 11! 
that's like, totally too young to be dealing with all this. 
anyway, hopefully the police catch Hardy soon and he gets what's coming to him 
and I hope the little girl makes a full recovery 
this is so sad 
she's still a kid and shouldn't be dealing with this kind of thing... I'm glad the family isn't being targeted, but it's still really scary for them too... 
and can we talk about how messed up it is that people outsmarted the police to help him? 
like, don't do that guys, it's not worth it... 
the fact that he managed to escape for so long is just unbelievable, i mean police have all these resources and tech at their disposal and still can't catch him right away. it's gotta be super frustrating for the family of that little girl who had to go through this trauma 
this is so sad what happened to that little girl she's just an innocent kid who got caught up in some crazy situation I hope they find her family and friends and get them the support they need 
meanwhile, I'm also thinking about Hardy, like what drove him to do something so horrific? 