LOUISVILLE, Ky. — A young child injured in the I-65 road rage incident may never walk again, according to a GoFundMe post.
Police said officers were called to Norton Children's Hospital around 8:30 p.m. Monday for 6-year-old Onyx who was suffering from a gunshot wound.
The preliminary investigation found the incident started at Outer Loop and I-65 North. People in a vehicle were in an altercation with three motorcyclists, police said.
According to authorities, the incident ended with another altercation on the off-ramp of I-65 North at University Boulevard, and more shots were fired at the vehicle.
Officers said when they were called to the I-65 shooting they found 33-year-old Jonathan Rivera nearby with a gun. Police said the gun in his waistband matched the shell casings found at the road rage shooting scene.
Officers arrested him and charged him with being a convicted felon in possession of a handgun.
Rivera pleaded not guilty in court on Wednesday, and his bond is set for $5,000 full cash.
His preliminary hearing is scheduled for July 20 at 9 a.m.
Investigators are still working out what his role was in that shooting.
In an update Tuesday, Lieutenant Steve Lacefield, with the Non-Fatal Shooting Unit, said Onyx was a passenger in the vehicle and is the child of the driver.
"As a city, we need to grieve for this child and her family, but we should also be angry that there are people in this city who think this is ok," Lacefield said. "We need to take action to stop this pandemic of violence."
He said she was hit once, but at least 15 shots were fired throughout the course of the incident.
The GoFundMe organizer says that her spine has been severed.
According to LMPD, at least three guns have been recovered during the course of the investigation.
"The fact that this is at a university, going down an interstate, there is a high likelihood of someone getting hurt or killed doing that," Lacefield said. "We are very fortunate, all things considered, that only one person was hit."
Reacting to the news Tuesday, Christopher 2X with Game Changers said he's sat in those hospital rooms with parents far too many times.
"We hear kids in surgery but surgery is serious," he said. "There's still a lot of process to go forward to try and rehabilitate the kids and families to feel a sense of safety anymore."
Last year, Norton Children's treated 59 patients for gunshot wounds. As of April of this year, they had treated 16.
"The goal is to create the best, safe and habitable environments for kids to thrive in, regardless of the violence we sometimes have to encounter," 2X said.
The Non-Fatal Shooting Squad is investigating.
Anyone with information is encouraged to call the tipline at (502) 574-LMPD (5673).
If you would like to donate to the GoFundMe, please click here.
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