North Carolina Man Charged With Shooting, Killing Seven Year Old Girl Hours After Release From Jail

A North Carolina man was arrested in the shooting death of a seven year old girl, a crime allegedly committed just hours after being released from an area jail.

26-year old Shaquille Marshon Francis was arrested by Forest City, North Carolina Police, on Wednesday, having been identified in the primary suspecting in the shooting of seven-year old Aaliyah Norris. Norris had been shot in the head at around 5PM on Tuesday, having been found in a vehicle at an intersection in the Rutherford County community.

Norris died from her injuries on Thursday. Francis had been initially charged with assault with a deadly weapon inflicting serious injury with intent to kill, discharging a weapon into occupied property inflicting serious bodily injury, and discharging a firearm within city limits, and his criminal charges were upgraded to murder following the child’s death.

Francis had been released from jail just three hours before his involvement in the shooting, facing charges related to assault with a firearm.

Authorities are currently investigating a potential motive in the heinous shooting of the seven-year old girl.

Forest City Dunbar School, where seven-year old Norris had been a student, released a statement mourning the loss of the innocent child.

“The Forest City – Dunbar family is incredibly saddened at the loss of one of our students Aaliyah Norris,” the statement read.

“Please keep her family and friends in your prayers.”