Young girl fatally shot on sidewalk in Anaheim

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- A 9-year-old girl was shot and killed in Anaheim on Wednesday night. Police are hunting for the gunman.

The shooting happened on the 2300 block of West Greenacre Avenue in Anaheim at 7:15 p.m. as the fifth-grade girl played with her friends in the front yard of an apartment complex across the street from busy Brookhurst Community Park. Neighbors said they heard three to four gunshots.

"I come across the street and I see the little girl on the ground and her father is saying, 'Why is this happening to my angel? She's only 9, she's only 9.' And so I tell them, 'Move out of the way, let me give her CPR,'" said Marquise Oliver.

The girl was taken to the hospital, where she was pronounced dead.

Detectives are now trying to find the killer and the motive.

"It's a family-oriented neighborhood, however it is frequented by gang members that do claim this particular area. Whether or not that was the motivation tonight, we're still looking into that. It's highly likely," said Lt. Bob Dunn with Anaheim police.

Neighbors are struggling to comprehend the senseless violence.

"I know her face. This doesn't happen in this neighborhood, it's a quiet neighborhood," said Oliver.

Anyone with information is urged to call 1-855-TIP-OCCS.