East Chicago, Oct 23 (AP) An 8-year-old Northwest Indiana girl was hospitalized in critical condition after being shot in the head by stray gunfire while seated on a living room floor doing homework, police said.

A preliminary investigation indicates that someone began shooting outside her home Thursday night and one bullet penetrated the siding of the home, East Chicago Deputy Police Chief Jose Rivera said.

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Police do not believe she was the intended target, Rivera said.

“Any time a child is the victim of senseless gun violence it affects and saddens us all. Thoughts, prayers and caring emojis on social media will not bring the shooter to justice. We need witnesses to come forward and cooperate with our detectives," Rivera said in a statement.

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"We can't allow these cowardly thugs to randomly open fire in our community with impunity. Our department will use all the resources we have available to help us catch the shooter and any person involved,” Rivera said. (AP)

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)