7-Year-Old Girl Fatally Shot In The Head, Suspect Got Out Of Jail Just 3 Hours Before It Happened

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FOREST CITY, North Carolina — A young girl was fatally shot by a suspect who had been released from jail just hours earlier, police say.

On Tuesday evening, the Forest City Police Department responded to a call that reported a child had been shot inside of a car on Oak Street.

When officers arrived on scene, they found two people removing Aaliyah Norris, 7 years of age, from a car. It was also discovered that she was suffering from a single gunshot wound to the head. Officers requested assistance from the Forest City Fire Department and Rutherford County Emergency Medical Services. A short time later medical personnel requested further assistance from Regional One air ambulance. Upon arrival of Regional One, the victim was transported to Spartanburg Regional Hospital where she later died.

As officers with the police department began to investigate the shooting, they began receiving calls from the community with information regarding the incident as well as assistance from local, state and federal law enforcement partners.

As the investigation progressed, detectives with the department learned that the suspect in the incident was Shaquille Marshon Francis, 26 years of age, from Forest City.

Shaquille Marshon Francis

Francis was released from jail three hours before the crime. He had been charged with assault by pointing a gun.

It was unclear why the gunman opened fire in the area.

On Wednesday, June 24, 2020, officers with the Forest City Police Department were able to take Francis into custody without incident. Currently he has been charged with assault with a deadly weapon inflicting serious injury with intent to kill, discharging a weapon into occupied property inflicting serious bodily injury, and discharging a firearm within the city limits. These charged will be upgraded.

The Forest City Police Department was assisted in this incident and would like to thank several law enforcement partners. Those partners included the Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office, the US Marshal Service-Carolina Regional Fugitive Task Force, the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation, the Spindale Police Department, the Rutherford County Fire Marshal, Polk County Sheriff’s Office, Tryon Police Department, the Forest City Fire Department, Rutherford County EMS, and the Rutherford County Traffic Control Unit.

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