Three friends—two girls and one boy—had taken a walk Saturday to their Paterson, N.J., neighborhood store around 8:40 p.m. When they got to the store and realized it was closed, they started their walk home, sharing rides on a scooter. A gunman who was reportedly aiming for someone else opened fire. Genesis Rincon, a 12-year-old student at School 21, was struck in the head.
Genesis is now "considered brain-dead," according to police Capt. Heriberto Rodriguez, who spoke to NorthJersey.com. The website reports that her parents were making arrangements to donate Genesis' organs.
"The family is hoping that while their daughter's life was ended so young, their daughter can help save other lives," Rodriguez said.
According to police, Genesis, another girl around her age and a boy a few years younger had left a family event to walk to the store when the shots rang out. The other two children were not physically injured in the shooting, but both were "traumatized" by the event, Rodriguez told the website.
According to NorthJersey.com, police have not released many details involving the shooting, only noting that "there was a target and obviously it wasn't the 12-year-old girl," Rodriguez said. "She was an innocent child."
Read more at NorthJersey.com.