13-year-old girl killed in NC drive-by shooting while sitting at picnic table; 4 arrested

MONROE, N.C. (WTVD) -- Four men were arrested Sunday in connection to a drive-by shooting that killed a 13-year-old girl who was sitting with friends at a picnic table.

Around 8 p.m. Saturday, Monroe officers were called to a shooting along Icemorlee Street, ABC-affiliate WSOC reports.

On arrival, officers found the girl seriously injured, she was rushed to a local hospital where she later died. Authorities have not released her identity at this time.

Investigators said the child was sitting with friends on a picnic table when a black 2005 Ford Freestyle SUV drove by and opened fire before speeding away.

Multiple shell casings littered the scene, but no others were shot, police said.

This was an innocent child," Monroe Police Chief Bryan Gilliard said in a statement Sunday.

On Sunday, Monroe police arrested Jamarius Crowder, 22, Javon Demontre Robinson, 20, Darius Roland, 19, Jamarius McLain. All four are being held at the Union County Jail on a first-degree murder charge with no bond.

Gilliard declined to comment on a motive for the shooting.

"Our officers have done an amazing job in leaving no stone unturned to ensure the individuals who committed this crime are not only identified, but also apprehended and brought to justice," Gilliard said. "This is such a devastating act that has far-reaching implications that was entirely uncalled for. These individuals took an innocent life for absolutely no reason and now a family and community has to live with this forever."

The girl killed in this shooting was the second child killed in a drive-by shooting in a suburb of Charlotte in less than a month.

On June 28, 8-year-old Ah'Miyahh Howell was shot to death in Statesville, North Carolina, about 40 miles north of Charlotte, when someone in a Mercedes drove by and opened fire, police said. A 7-year-old boy with Ah'Miyahh at the time was also injured in the shooting.