An 11-year-old girl was fatally shot last week as she walked home from a nearby store where she bought milk for her family, authorities in Syracuse, New York said.
Investigators said that the suspects, who had since been arrested, were actually targeting a 19-year-old man when they fatally struck Brexialee Torres-Ortiz on Jan. 16 at around 7:42 p.m.
“A little girl left her apartment, left her loving mother and grandmother because she wanted to be a good kid and not have them go out in the cold and grab a carton of milk,” said William Fitzpatrick, the Onondaga County District Attorney.
On Thursday, Fitzpatrick announced the arrests of three suspects, Ra'sean Patterson, 18, Dahviere Griswold, 20, and a 16-year-old boy in connection with the incident. All three face second-degree murder charges.
“She should have come back to her mom and grandma with that carton of milk but tragically, her life was taken away from her,” Fitzpatrick said.