9 year old injured in shooting at Lauderhill shopping plaza, police say

A 9-year-old boy was injured in a shooting that began in the parking lot of a commercial shopping plaza in Lauderhill on Memorial Day, police said.

Lauderhill police were called to the shopping plaza at 1531 N State Road 7, where the Lauderhill Mall is located, shortly before 11 a.m. Monday.

An argument in the parking lot led to someone firing a gun, Lt. Antonio Gonzalez said in a news release. The child and the child’s family were not involved in the argument.

The boy was shot in his right ankle. He was taken to Broward Health Medical Center in Fort Lauderdale and is expected to recover, Gonzalez said.

As of Monday afternoon, Gonzalez said three cars were involved in the incident, and the driver of one of them, a black Chevrolet SUV, returned to the plaza and is cooperating with detectives. The other cars involved were a white Toyota and a white Chevrolet SUV.

Additional information was not released. The investigation remains ongoing.

Lauderhill is one of several cities in Broward County that has been grappling with a recent spate of shootings. Earlier this month, city officials launched a months-long campaign aimed at finding through research the “root cause” of gun violence in the city to implement solutions.

So far in 2024, there have been seven murders in Lauderhill, Chief Constance Stanley said in a video statement earlier this month. Mayor Ken Thurston previously told the South Florida Sun Sentinel that is two murders more than the same time period in 2023, and while crimes being committed involving guns, like robberies, have decreased, the number of people who have been killed by gun violence has increased.

This is a developing story, so check back for updates. Click here to have breaking news alerts sent directly to your inbox.