Grandmother and Toddler Shot Dead, Relative Arrested: Police

A grandmother and toddler have been fatally shot in a Georgia home, according to police.

Muscogee County Coroner Buddy Bryan said Ursula Dietz, 64, and 19-month-old Elenor Dietz were killed at a house at 2617 Hilton Avenue in Columbus.

The coroner told Newsweek that both victims had been shot several times and were pronounced dead at about 2:10 p.m. on Monday.

He said Dietz's son, Kevin, who is Elenor's uncle, had been taken into custody following the double killing.

The Gun Violence Archive, a database that collects information about shootings from across the U.S., says that eight people in Columbus have been shot dead since September 1. It also found that 36 people had been fatally shot in the city since January 1, 2022.

According to the gun-safety advocacy group Brady United, 22 children aged between 1 and 17 are shot every day in the U.S.

Police have not shared any information about what happened in the moments leading up to the shooting and whether Kevin has been charged since he was taken into custody.

However, Bryan said: "The Columbus Police Department, states he (Kevin) is a person of interest.

"The motive for the homicides is still under investigation by the Columbus Police Department homicide division."

Bryan said the deaths would be ruled as a homicides and that the cause of death was "multiple gunshot wounds. Shot by other(s)."

Newsweek has contacted the Columbus Police Department and the Muscogee County Coroner's Office for comment.

Earlier in October, a baby girl was critically injured in a triple shooting, according to Missouri police.

Kansas City Police Department officers were alerted to reports of gunshots close to East 26th Street and Hadesty Avenue at about 1:45 p.m. on Monday, September 27.

When police arrived, they found one adult had been fatally shot, while another had been taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

Police later said a child under 5 had been rushed to a nearby hospital in a critical condition, but died from her injuries on Sunday, October 2.

A toddler was shot dead in front of his mother and siblings during a road-rage incident in Chicago in September.

Mateo Zastro, 3, had been riding in a car with his mother and siblings near Cicero Avenue and West 71st Street at about 8:30 p.m. on Friday, September 30.

Chicago Police Department Commander Bryan Spreyne told reporters the mother tried to escape a road-rage incident but was followed by the other driver to Marquette Road.

According to ABC7, someone in the backseat of a red sedan fired at the mother's car, with one of the bullets hitting Mateo in the head.

Spreyne said: "One of the shots struck the 3-year-old child. He was taken to Christ Hospital and succumbed to his injuries…

"Our vow to the child's family, and to the entire city is we will not rest until those responsible for this senseless and cowardly act of violence are brought to justice."