Four North Carolina teens sustained gunshot wounds after a man walked onto a church playground and opened fire.
The Associated Press reported that one of the victims, a 12-year-old boy, was critically injured.
Rev. James Gailliard of the Word Tabernacle Church in Rocky Mount, N.C. told AP reporters that the gunman entered the church grounds at about 6 p.m. on Monday, while nearly 24 teens from the area played on basketball courts toward the rear of the sanctuary.
Gailliard, who was in his office at the time, said he heard at least 15 shots go off, and went outside to see what was happening. He saw 12-year-old Nyreek Horne, who was reportedly shot in the head, laying on the ground. Gailliard held the boy while emergency response teams rushed to the scene.
"In our community, we do hear gunshots from time to time," Gailliard told AP. "But what was different this time was that it was so close and it was so many. I held him in my arms until the paramedics got there. He was shot in the eye and the bullet went out the back of his brain. He was struggling to breathe, but he was fighting."
By Tuesday afternoon, Horne remained in critical condition, AP reported. The other three teenage boys who were shot received medical treatment and were released from the hospital shortly after. They were said to be 13, 17 and 19 years old.
Gailliard scheduled a vigil for Tuesday, where members of the community would have the chance to pray for the teen's recovery, and stop local violence.
The reverend acknowledged that some were apprehensive to talk to police, but urged residents to tell detectives anything they knew.
"Unfortunately, in my time I have funeralized a lot of young African-American males who died in violent situations," he said. "We put the basketball [hoops] up and took down the fence specifically so the community could just walk on the premises and have a safe place to play. That trust has been violated."
