FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. (WSVN) - Authorities are investigating a shooting in Pompano Beach that sent a 10-year-old boy to the hospital.
Broward Sheriff’s Office and Pompano Beach Fire Rescue units responded to the scene along the 1700 block of Northwest Fourth Street, just after 6:30 p.m., Thursday.
Paramedics transported the patient to Broward Health Medical Center with injuries listed as not life-threatening.
Speaking with 7News hours later, the victim’s mother, April Lofton, identified him as Noah West.
“He’s doing good. Basically, the doctors assessed him. He’s doing really good; he’s in stable condition,” she said.
Lofton said Noah was walking his friend home after playing basketball at nearby Hunters Manor Park when a teenager drove by on a scooter.
“This guy is on a moped, a scooter, with a face mask on and just started shooting,” she said.
Lofton said the gunman fired a buckshot that hit her son multiple times in the leg and butt.
The concerned parent said deputies knocked on her door.
“BSO came to my home and said that, ‘Your son was involved in a shooting,'” she said.
A security camera in the neighborhood shows Noah running from the park to his house nearby.
Lofton said this was the worst news she could have ever expected to hear.
“I was traumatized, I was definitely traumatized. As a parent, my worst nightmare was that, you know, what’s going on with my child,” she said.
7News cameras captured a group of deputies gathered at the scene.
Deputies cordoned off a portion of Northwest Fourth Street while they investigated. Most of the crime scene tape focused around two homes.
Noah continues to recover in the hospital. More than anything, his mother is just happy that he’s going to be OK.
“We’re just waiting for everything. They’re going to keep him overnight just to make sure none of the buckshots went to any vessels or any arteries,” said Lofton.
Noah, a fifth grader, will be home from school next week for spring break, but instead of having fun, he’ll be recovering from a gunshot wound.
BSO’s Violent Crimes Unit detectives continue to investigate this incident.
“I feel like this is a great community. The kids should be able to come outside and play and be children, and then you have these other younger adults that are doing these types of things,” said Lofton.
If you have any information on this shooting, call Broward County Crime Stoppers at 954-493-TIPS. Remember, you can always remain anonymous, and you may be eligible for a reward of up to $5,000.
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