Girl, 10, among bystanders shot outside east valley shopping center

A shootout between two men at a busy east valley shopping center Tuesday afternoon left four people with bullet wounds, including three innocent bystanders, among them a 10-year-old girl, according to Metro Police.

The three victims and one of the gunmen suffered injuries not deemed life-threatening, Metro Lt. Grant Rogers said. The other suspect fled the scene.

About 20 gunshots erupted about 4:40 p.m. in a parking lot connecting a pawn shop and a restaurant in the 300 block of Nellis Boulevard, near Stewart Avenue, Rogers said. The girl was hit in the buttocks, her mother in the shoulder, and a motorist who was heading north on Nellis was grazed by a bullet that went through her car, but she refused medical care.

The gunman was shot in his hip, Rogers said. The mother and her daughter were rushed via ambulance to Sunrise Hospital and Medical Center, where the man also was taken by an unknown motorist.

At least two cars also were struck by gunfire, Rogers said.

Dozens of bystanders witnessed the shooting, which is a possible gang-related case, Rogers said. Initial details suggest that one of the men had gone into the Super Pawn and at some point during the visit was confronted by the other.

The gunman who fled is believed to have jumped the wall of a nearby apartment complex, but he hadn't been located as of Tuesday evening.

"Anytime a child is a victim of a crime it's very serious, and we'll do whatever we possibly can to bring justice to that victim," Rogers said, noting that a violent crime initiative team would be patrolling the area Tuesday night.

About 7:45 p.m., Nellis remained shut down in the area in both directions.

Further details were not immediately available.