Man arrested after Lauderhill parking lot shooting that leaves 9-year-old injured – NBC 6 South Florida

A man has been arrested in connection with a Memorial Day shooting in the parking lot of a Lauderhill mall in which a 9-year-old was hit by a ricochet bullet and hospitalized, police said.

Jeremy Lockhart, 53, faces charges of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon in connection with Monday morning’s shooting, Lauderhill police said.

The shooting occurred around 10:45 a.m. in the parking lot in the 1500 block of North State Road 7.

According to police, an altercation ensued during which several people fired shots.

A shopper told NBC6 she heard two people arguing over a parking space when someone pulled out a gun and started shooting, hitting the child.

The nine-year-old boy, whose family was not involved in the altercation, was hit in the ankle by a ricochet bullet, police said.

The boy was taken to Broward Health Medical Center in Fort Lauderdale and released later Monday.

“I ran back, left the stroller there and grabbed my son. And when I grabbed him, he said, ‘Mommy, I got shot in the ankle,'” mother Taraneisha Jackson told NBC6. “I’m just devastated.”

Investigators believe three vehicles were involved, including a white Toyota Prius, a white Chevrolet SUV and a black Chevrolet SUV.

The woman driving the black Chevrolet returned to the scene and cooperated with investigators.

Lockhart was identified as the driver of the white Chevrolet SUV, police said.

Lockhart, who also faces a probation violation, was booked into a Broward County jail where he was being held without bail Tuesday, records show.

Officials said investigators are still trying to locate the occupant of the Prius and determine how many of those involved fired a firearm, striking the child.