Pennsylvania girl dies from New Year's Eve celebratory gunfire

ELKTON, Md. - January 3, 2013

The girl, Aaliyah Boyer, died late Thursday morning, police said.

Her mother told Action News that they donated her heart, lungs and liver. A 3-year-old child at A.I. DuPont Hospital in Wilmington, where Aaliyah had been treated, received the heart.

Meanwhile, her mother also said the family's home in Manheim, Pa. had been burglarized since the shooting, and all of the children's Christmas presents were stolen.

She also says there have been fake Facebook funds set up to raise money for the family. She said the correct information would be made public once a memorial account is set up.

Aaliyah was hit while watching fireworks outside a relative's home in Elkton, Maryland around 12:10 a.m. Tuesday.

"Everyone was having a nice time," said aunt Ashleigh Rice during an interview on Wednesday. "There were just fireworks around us."

"She was facing this way and there were people all around her. All around her," said relative Katie Shoap.

After Aaliyah collapsed, family members called 911.

"We didn't know what happened. We thought she passed out and hit her head," said Rice.

Police say Aaliyah had been hit in the head by a stray bullet.

"She was blue. Her fingers were blue. Her toes were blue," said Rice.

It's illegal to fire a gun into the air in Maryland, so police are now trying to figure out who fired the shot.

"To fire a gun for a celebratory reason is just a terrible, horrible idea and incidents like this can happen," said Lt. Michael Holmes of the Cecily County Sheriff's Office.

"I know things happen and it was an accident, but this person is out there and they have no clue what they did just because they were just not thinking," said Shoap.

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