A family has been left "broken" after a 12-year-old girl was shot in the head and killed after being caught up in a drive-by crossfire.
Secret Pierce, a pupil at Thirman L. Milner Middle School, was sitting in a parked car on Thursday evening in Hartford, Connecticut, when she was shot at.
She was rushed to hospital in a critical condition but tragically died the following morning.
Her grandad Rev Sam Saylor spent the night at the hospital with the family praying she would pull through as he admitted "it was more crying than talking".
Medics worked through the night to try and save the 12-year-old but the family was told the young girl would not "return from the damage that had been done to her brain", according to her grandad.
Mr Saylor revealed the family is "broken" after Secret was caught up in the middle of a crossfire.
He added: "There's just thoughts of loss.. Thoughts of frustration. Just anger and bewilderment. We're broken."
According to her grandad, Secret's mum is heartbroken and has chosen not to speak as she struggles with the devastating loss of her daughter.
Mr Saylor added: "I'm a generation removed from that, but there is no grief like a mother's grief."
Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin said the local community is "deeply sorry" to hear the news of the Secret's death.
He said: "This is a painful day in our community. I don’t have the words I want to say to Secret’s mom and loved ones … that we are all so deeply sorry. That we are with them today in grief, in prayer and with love.”
Hartford Schools Superintendent Leslie Torres-Rodriguez paid tribute to the young girl and revealed she was one of the "very capable students".
She said Secret was "loved" by her fellow pupils and had been "excited" to return to school.
Ms Rodriguez confirmed the school is offering support to any pupils and staff affected by the shooting.
The tragic shooting come after Lt. Aaron Boisver said police were called around 8.40pm on Thursday amid reports of multiple shots being fired.
Officers discovered three people wounded including an 18-year-old male, who had been shot multiple time and Secret, who had been shot in the head whilst sat in a parked car.
The three other victims, males ages 16, 18 and 23, were expected to survive.
Mr Boisvert said the little girl was caught up in the crossfire and had not been the intended target.
He said: “At this point, it appears that the 12-year-old girl had nothing to do with the incident and was not the intended target.”
Cops have since reviewed CCTV footage from the neighbourhood that "painted a perfectly clear picture of what happened".
Local businesses have also stepped forward and helped the police with their inquiries and provided additional footage.
Mr Boisvert added: "We are very confident that at some point today we hopefully will identify the suspect vehicle."
Authorities believe the three people who survived the shooting had "extensive firearm involvement and criminal history".
He has pleaded with them to come forward and believes they know who fired the bullet which killed Secret.
