(CNN) - At least five children were killed in shootings across the United States over the holiday weekend, prompting calls from officials to end gun violence affecting their communities.
The children, ages 6 to 14, were shot dead while doing everyday activities: riding in a mother's car, walking in a mall, and playing in the yard with their cousins.
Secoriea Turner, 8, Atlanta
In Atlanta, eight-year-old Secoriea Turner was sitting in a car with her mother and another adult when shots were fired Saturday night on University Ave SW near I-75/85.
As the driver tried to stop in a parking lot on Pryor Road, near where Rayshard Brooks was killed by police, someone opened fire on the vehicle, police said.
Someone had put up illegal barricades in the area, according to police.
Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms begged anyone to submit information, and the Crime Stoppers organization has announced a $ 10,000 reward for information in the case.
"We are fighting an internal enemy when we are shooting ourselves on our streets," the mayor said at a press conference on Sunday. “They shot and killed a creature. And it was not a shooter, there were at least two shooters, ”she said.
Georgia Governor Brian Kemp offered his condolences to the Secoriea family on Sunday, posting on Twitter: "Our hearts are broken at the senseless loss of this precious life."
Royta De'Marco Giles, 8, Hoover, Alabama
On Friday in Hoover, Alabama, another 8-year-old boy was shot dead while in a shopping mall.
Royta De'Marco Giles Jr. was one of four "innocent bystanders caught in the crossfire," when a shooting broke out between a group of men inside the Riverchasel Gallery Mall, a Hoover Police Department press release said.
The boy had just finished second grade at Jonesboro Elementary School, a statement from the Bessemer City Schools said.
Royta De'Marco Giles was shot to death at a crosswalk at a shopping center in Hoover, Alabama.
“Our hearts are simply broken by Giles' tragic loss. We are here for the family in every possible way, and we ask that you all lift up the mother, family, and our school community in your prayers. This is difficult, ”Bessemer City Schools Superintendent Dr. Autumm Jeter said in a statement to CNN.
Giles was described as a "smart kid who was a gem, with big dreams of one day entering the music industry," according to the statement.
A suspect has been arrested on charges, and police have released additional surveillance footage of several people of concern they are looking for in connection with the boy's death.
Davon McNeal, 11, Washington
Davon McNeal, 11, was visiting his family in southeast Washington when a group of five men began shooting around 9:30 p.m. Saturday, police said.
Her grandfather, John Ayala, who founded the Washington chapter of the Guardian Angels and has been fighting armed violence for many years. She said her grandson got out of the car to run to his aunt's house to grab a phone charger.
Davon McNeal was visiting his family when he was shot in Washington.
McNeal's mother heard the shots and saw her son duck to the ground, thinking he was trying to dodge the bullets, Ayala said.
But then she saw that her son was not moving and she noticed the blood. "She saw that they hit him in the head," said Ayala, who was not there at the time. When she arrived at the hospital, she discovered that her grandson was dead.
“Her mother was just crying, 'My baby! They took my baby! '”Ayala said.
Mayor Muriel Bowser announced a $ 25,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of those responsible.
"Public help is crucial to bringing to justice the perpetrators of the horrendous murder of 11-year-old Davon McNeal," the mayor said in a tweet announcing the reward.
Natalia Wallace, age 7, Chicago
A group of children were playing in Chicago's Austin neighborhood playground when three suspects emerged from a light-colored vehicle and shot at a group gathered outside a house in the 100 block of North Latrobe Ave, police said.
Seven-year-old Natalia Wallace, identified by her family to CNN affiliate WBBM, was shot in the head and transported to Stroger Hospital where she died, Chicago Police told CNN.
Natalia Wallace was playing with her cousins on a playground in the Austin, Chicago neighborhood.
Natalia was "sweet, shy, loving, and good at math" and had just finished first grade, her family told the WBBM.
"Children playing outside shouldn't worry about guns and people shooting," Natalia's father Nathan Wallace told the affiliate.
Chicago. Austin. They have to be tired of this, "said chief Fred Waller when speaking to journalists. “The heart of Chicago breaks again. Austin's heart breaks again. You have to be tired of this, because damn, I'm tired of this, "said Waller.
Mayor Lori Lightfoot asked anyone with information to come forward and said the violence "has happened for too long,"
"Tonight, a 7-year-old boy in Austin joined a list of teens and children whose hopes and dreams ran out with a gun magazine," Lightfoot said in a tweet.
"As a city we must embrace our young people so that they understand that there is a future for them that is not involved in armed violence."
In another Chicago shooting, a 14-year-old minor was among the four killed on July 4.
A six-year-old boy was killed in San Francisco
Police in San Francisco announced Sunday night that they were investigating the "senseless murder" of a 6-year-old boy from Bayview.
The boy was found with a gunshot wound after police received a detonation call at around 10:44 p.m. Saturday night, according to a police department news release.
A second person was taken to the hospital and treated for non-fatal injuries.
No arrests have been made and a description of the suspect was not available, according to the statement.
"A senseless violence like this that could so tragically claim a young child's life is unacceptable in our city, and the San Francisco Police Department supports the Bayview Hunter's Point community in its determination to bring the perpetrator (s) before justice, ”said William Scott, a police spokesman in the statement.
Shooting in the United States
Children were not the only victims of gun violence, as the shootings killed some and wounded many others in various cities in the United States during the July 4 holiday weekend.
New York saw at least 44 shooting incidents involving 63 people, according to statistics from the New York Police, NYPD.
In one incident, two officers were injured when a bullet struck the front windshield of a police vehicle in the Bronx just before midnight on July 4, the NYPD said. Both were treated for minor injuries. A New York Police source said it was not known if it was a stray or intentionally fired bullet and they are still trying to identify the shooter.
And in Chicago, 75 people had been shot over the weekend, as of Sunday, 13 of them fatally, according to CNN affiliate WLS.
- CNN's Sharif Paget, Bill Kirkos, Kay Jones, Chuck Johnston, Nicky Robertson, Lauren Koenig and Mary Kay Mallonee contributed to this report.
Weapons in the United States