1 N. Carolina Girl Killed, 1 Wounded in Shooting at Park

Gunshots of unknown origin struck two girls in a pool jammed with thousands of visitors to a theme park Sunday, killing one of them and leaving the other, a 6-year-old, critically injured, officials said.

“At this point, we have no witnesses who can identify where the gunfire came from,” Mecklenburg County Assistant Police Chief R. D. Ferrell said.

Police used a helicopter and dogs to search the Carowinds theme park after the shootings, and investigators believe the shot or shots may have come from outside the park, about 10 miles south of Charlotte, Ferrell said.

About 2,000 people were at the Ocean Island section, a simulated beach, when the shooting occurred, Carowinds spokeswoman Claire Lang said.

The two may have been shot by someone who was target shooting outside the park, Ferrell said. Target shooting is illegal around the park, and there is no target range in the area, he said.

The victims were both in the pool, but were between 50 feet and 75 feet apart.

The girl who was killed was identified as Michelle Ann Sexton of Rock Hill. The second victim, Alesha Rollins of Charlotte, was shot in the abdomen and was listed in critical but stable condition Sunday evening.

The park straddles the North Carolina-South Carolina border.