Shooting of girl, 8, not gang violence

Keith Paul

Tuesday, Dec. 11, 2001 | 8:34 a.m.

An 8-year-old girl was hit by a stray bullet from a gunfight started over a traffic argument, not a gang-related vendetta, Metro Police said.

Metro gang detectives have talked to the two men involved in the Saturday shooting, but no arrests have been made, said Lt. Jim Owens of the department's gang unit.

Karayata Wilks, 8, was down the street at the time of the shooting and was hit. She remains this morning in University Medical Center in critical condition.

Detectives are waiting on some more evidence from the shooting and talking to some witnesses to determine who will be charged in connection with the shooting.

One of the men was on the sidewalk and the other driving a car Saturday about 1 p.m. at Eastern Avenue and Bonanza Road.

"One thought he had almost gotten hit by the other one's car," Owens said. "Words were exchanged and then shots were fired. This was not gang related."

Detectives are still going through evidence to determine who did the shooting and which bullet hit Karayata. During the shooting, none of the men were hit.

"She is totally innocent. She was just in the area," Owens said

Gang detectives were called to investigate the shooting, but Owens said the shooting was not because of any problems between rival gang members. He would not say if those involved in the shooting were gang members, only that gang affiliations were not the cause of the shooting.

Anyone with information in this case is asked to call Metro's gang unit at 229-3309 or Secret Witness at 385-5555.