Girl, 9, critically injured in Robeson County after being shot while riding in car with mother

PEMBROKE, N.C. (WTVD) -- The Robeson County Sheriff's Office is investigating after a mother and her 9-year-old daughter were shot while traveling in their vehicle Saturday night.

Deputies said the shooting happened just after 10 p.m. on Moss Neck Road in Pembroke.

Upon arrival to the 80 block of Darrell Drive, deputies found a 41-year-old woman and her 9-year-old child suffering from gunshot wounds.

The mother was treated for non-life-threatening injuries and the child was taken to a medical center in critical condition.

The girl's grandmother, Regina Maldonado, took to Facebook to ask for prayers for her family. In a conversation with our partner station WPDE, she said her granddaughter was shot three times in the back.

Maldonado added that the child had been on a ventilator, but was taken off the machine and appeared to be getting better, though she still has a long road to recovery.

Maldonado also said she believed her granddaughter and the child's mother were innocent victims of gun violence and were not targeted.

The Robeson County Sheriff's Office says it has persons of interest and are conducting interviews.

Anyone with information about the case is asked to contact the Robeson County Sheriff's Office at (910) 671-3170 or (910) 671-3100.

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