Friday, August 28th 2015, 6:38 pm
People are outraged after a 5-year-old boy was wounded when someone blindly shot into his home.
He was hit in the neck and the bullet traveled down to his chest. They said he has a collapsed lung, but is expected to survive.
Two community groups are upset about a child being shot and said they hope their message of non-violence can help prevent similar shootings.
Late Thursday evening, police said someone fired through the window of a home near the 2100 block of North MLK and hit a 5-year-old boy. He was one of six people in the home.
8/28/2015 Related Story: Five-Year-Old Boy Shot Inside Tulsa Home
News of a child being the victim of gun violence has hit several community leaders hard, and former gang member Vyncent Madden and his group Stop The Violence are rallying to stop people from committing crimes.
"We need to go out there and show these guys some things they could do for the positive, be positive role models in these guy’s lives, man. There's another way, it ain't necessarily about that," Madden said.
Neighbors Encouraging Other Neighbors founder Jonathan Townsend said the supporters he works with will not tolerate this kind of violence.
"Yet another act of deplorable violence is taking place in our community and it's probably happened enough times where a lot of people have grown desensitized to this happening, but it's something we can never get used to," he said.
Townsend hopes his neighborhood gatherings can help kids see another path.
"We have to reaffirm to them we're here as a community to support them and to help them resolve their issues in a non-violent manner," Townsend said.
Madden has one simple message to the shooter.
"It's about these kids man. These kids don't deserve this, you know what I'm saying? Give these kids a chance. Whoever it is, you need to come forward, turn yourself in. You're running around here being a gutless coward with this pistol, shooting kids man, come turn yourself in, whoever knows, if you know who did it you need to turn them in," he said.
Police are still working on the shooter’s description and a motive.
August 28th, 2015
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