Burst of gunfire in Camden leaves 8-year-old girl clinging to life

An 8-year-old girl was shot in the head during a burst of gunfire Wednesday night on the streets of Camden.

Camden County Police Chief Scott Thomson said police received reports about 8:30 p.m. of shots fired in the area of Eighth and Spruce Streets.

"We received reports that an 8-year-old girl had been shot," Thomson said at a news briefing outside Cooper University Hospital, where the girl was taken.

"She has been shot in the head and her situation right now is critical," Thomson said.

Several men opened fire on an intended target, and the girl was hit in the head by a stray bullet, Thomson said. She was across the street from her house when she was struck, he added.

"We're asking for the community's help, to come forward with any information that they have," he said. "Obviously from our perspective, this is an all-hands-on-deck, line-in-the-sand moment."

Investigators are reviewing surveillance video from the area, Thomson said, adding that the shooters "jumped in a car and fled the area at a high rate of speed."

No other details were available.

"These individuals responsible for this are going to feel the full weight of law enforcement," the chief said.

At the intersection where the gunfire erupted, some residents and others lingered outside of an area taped off by police. A resident said he heard what he thought were firecrackers going off and later realized what had happened.

"It was so many at a time," said Morgan Sellers, 42, who lives nearby on Cherry Street.

"If she dies, they need to put their guns down," Sellers said.

The neighborhood normally is active with kids playing during the day, he added.

bmoran@phillynews.com

215-854-5983 @RobertMoran215